$58 million grant to pay for rail line from Raleigh to Richmond, Virginia

State and federal transportation leaders announced Thursday the influx of a $58 million grant that would create a direct passenger rail line from Raleigh to Richmond, Virginia.

The proposed 162-mile rail line would make stops in several towns in the Triangle, including Wake Forest.

On Thursday, Gov. Roy Cooper and U.S. Rep. David Price joined White House leaders with an announcement in downtown Wake Forest.

“We need a fast, reliable corridor to the Northeast,” Cooper said. “We need to make sure we can get people from one place to the next … to their jobs, to their schools, to their health care.”

Transportation leaders call this a “vital link” to eventually create a larger Southeast Corridor high-speed rail line from Washington, D.C. to Atlanta.

"There is no formula for health and balanced growth in our region that does not include transportation diversification and rail in particular," Price said.

The $58 million awarded to North Carolina is part of more than $360 million the Biden-Harris administration announced to bolster rail infrastructure and supply chains. North Carolina’s funding is the largest amount given to any state this year.

“When this is all finished and everything is connected, just like we used to be able to go to New York to Florida, we're going to be able to do that again,” said Wake Forest Mayor Vivian Jones.

Leaders said Thursday the proposed line would reduce travel time between Raleigh and Richmond by an hour. It would also connect to Washington, D.C.