Federal officials released $550 million Thursday for the S-Line from Raleigh toward Richmond. The Durant Road rail bridge in north Raleigh is due to finish in November.

The federal government released $550 million Thursday for the S-Line, the passenger rail line planned from Raleigh to Richmond, Virginia. Gov. Josh Stein and state Transportation Secretary Daniel Johnson announced the money in Raleigh with David Fink, head of the Federal Railroad Administration.

The money comes from the Federal-State Partnership program, the governor’s office said. The state says the finished line will cut the trip between Raleigh and Richmond by more than an hour.

The first section: Raleigh to Wake Forest

The first stretch to be built runs 18 miles from Raleigh to Wake Forest, about 12 miles north of downtown. In December 2023, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced a $1.09 billion grant to design and build that section, the N.C. Department of Transportation’s project page says. The grant covers final design, buying land and construction.

The work in Raleigh, as NCDOT describes it, includes:

  • bridges to carry roads over the tracks, starting at Durant Road and New Hope Church Road, where contracts were issued in 2024
  • a second platform at Raleigh Union Station
  • closing the railroad crossings at Jones Street and Hargett Street downtown, to make room for the new tracks and platform
  • rebuilding the Morgan Street bridge

NCDOT says the 18-mile section includes “over half a dozen” road and rail separations in all. Trains on the line are designed to run at up to 110 mph between Raleigh and Petersburg, Virginia.

The Durant Road bridge

Fink and state and local officials visited the Durant Road project in north Raleigh on Thursday. Crews there are in the final stages of building the bridge, the governor’s office said.

  • The bridge is expected to be finished in November.
  • Final restoration work is scheduled to end in July 2028.
  • The bridge replaces a crossing where cars and trains now meet at the same level.

“The S-Line will connect North Carolina residents to more transportation options within the state and beyond,” Stein said.

What it means for you

  • No new trains yet. Neither the release nor NCDOT’s project page gives a date for passenger service between Raleigh and Wake Forest. Amtrak’s NC By Train service from Raleigh Union Station is unchanged. Schedules are at NC By Train.
  • Durant Road drivers: the bridge is due in November, with work in the area running to July 2028. Current closures are on our road construction and closures page.
  • Downtown: the Jones Street and Hargett Street crossings near Union Station are planned to close as part of the project. NCDOT has not published a date.

NCDOT keeps a project timeline page for the line, which it says will be updated as more funding is secured.