Lexington moving forward with modeling study for passenger rail station
The City of Lexington is making progress with its long-anticipated passenger rail station.
She said there are strict regulations between the state and the railroad relative to the schedules of both passenger and freight trains. The tracks going through Lexington are owned by North Carolina Railroad but are leased to Norfolk Southern for freight trains.
The Rail Traffic Controller Simulation Analysis, commonly known as a “modeling study”, will be conducted by Norfolk Southern by building and running a computer model of the whole system with and without the new station based on anticipated schedules of freight trains and Amtrak schedules.
“Whenever anything is introduced onto the (railroad) system there needs to be a very detailed and complete study to determine how that is going to impact the function of the whole system. And if anything is introduced that causes delays or impacts the scheduling of those trains then you have to find improvements along the system to offset that,” said Absher.
She said there are several options available if any potential problems are identified in the modeling study, including upgrades of equipment, switch replacements or systemwide adjustments.
Absher said the study will be based on three potential stops for trains going North and three stops for trains going South each day at the new Lexington station. She said if any further stops are added in the future, the state would handle the modeling study for impact on the system.
“We are hearing from NCDOT that over the course of this expansion to the passenger rail system across the state that they will continue to increase the frequencies. However, modeling increases to those frequencies in the future will be a state agreement with Norfolk Southern and not necessarily the city,” said Absher.
The total cost of the study is not to exceed $400,000 but it could be less depending on cost-saving opportunities using data from existing models as opposed to building a new model.
Absher said NCDOT is already in the middle of a modeling study to replace an at-grade crossing on Seventh Avenue and build a tunnel underneath the tracks as an extension of Fifth Avenue, and this information could be used in the Lexington train station modeling project.
"I personally would be very surprised if it came anywhere close to that because they have already indicated to us that they already have a lot of this information. They are just going to check to see what needs to be updated, " said Absher.
Absher said the city is also working with NCDOT for plans to straighten a curve in the tracks, which would also be part of the modeling study.
In 2003, the city began discussing the possibility of having passenger rail. In September 2020, the U.S. Department of Transportation selected Lexington to receive a $25 million grant through the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) grant program.
The project includes building two new boarding platforms, renovating the historic freight depot as an interim passenger station, a vehicle tunnel under the railroad at Fifth Avenue, which will connect with Talbert Boulevard, and improving the tracks between the two areas.
Absher said the city is in the final design phase for the passenger rail stop and is continuing with right-of-way acquisitions. She said they hope to be able to open bids for construction between March and June of 2026.
The project is expected to be complete in October 2028.
