Richmonders could someday get to Raleigh within 2-ish hours without driving

Richmonders are one step closer to getting to Raleigh, North Carolina as quickly as they get to D.C. — via train , at least.

The big picture: Construction on a long-awaited, billion-dollar high-speed rail connecting the two cities began Monday in North Raleigh with an appearance from U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

• It's part one in rebuilding the S-Line rail corridor between Raleigh and Richmond that's been out of commission for more than 50 years .
• North Carolina officials don't have a firm timeline for when the new route, which also runs through Petersburg, will be open to Richmond passengers.
• But Liz Macam from NCDOT tells Axios the portion connecting Raleigh and Wake Forest will be done by 2030.

Zoom in: The new Raleigh-Richmond route is expected to cut travel time down to about two hours.

• The fastest Amtrak train to Raleigh takes 3.5 hours compared to the 2.5-hour drive, and that's if you're leaving from the Staples Mill Road station.
• Departing from Main Street Station could have you riding the train for about 14 hours because of multiple transfers, per an Axios analysis of July ticket options.

Fun fact: Amtrak's Staples Mill station was the busiest train station in the Southeast last year, with 424,617 riders. It's held that rank since at least 2018.

• Raleigh was fifth in the region at 231,229.

What's next: The Raleigh-Richmond line is the entry point to expanding high-speed rail access in the South and connecting more trains to D.C.

Go deeper: A guide to visiting Raleigh .