Commuter rail ridership study announced

The North Carolina Railroad Company (NCRR) has announced plans to conduct a commuter rail ridership and market study on the NCRR rail corridor going through the Triangle and Triad.

Posted 3:43 a.m. Mar 20, 2009 — Updated 2:46 p.m. Mar 20, 2009

RALEIGH, N.C. — The North Carolina Railroad Company (NCRR) has announced plans to conduct a commuter rail ridership and market study on the NCRR rail corridor through the Triangle and Triad.

The study, announced at the company’s "Progress in Motion: 2030" forum on Thursday, will focus on the rail corridor from Goldsboro to Greensboro. It is a follow-up to a study done last year, which determined rush-hour commuter trains can operate on NCRR tracks along with freight trains in that stretch.

The market study will examine where potential riders live and work and whether enough demand exists to make the project feasible.

The study is expected to take between six and nine months to complete.

NCRR owns a 317-mile right-of-way from Morehead City to Charlotte.

The railroad is a private company but has been wholly state-owned since 1998.

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