Rail plan getting updated

(The Center Square) – South Carolina's rail plan is being updated, a move that could affect the amount of federal tax dollars the state receives for its rail infrastructure.

“This plan assesses existing conditions and future projections,” David Gray, the South Carolina Department of Transportation’s multimodal planning manager, said during a recent public hearing. “It will help identify needs and opportunities. It will help to identify and prioritize projects, policies and strategies, and it will help to identify funding sources to benefit rail in South Carolina.

“We update the plan to support timely rail-related planning and projects to gather up-to-date perspectives to improve rail and to meet the requirements of the Federal Railroad Administration, which specifies that a state rail plan be updated every four years. We asked the rail Advisory Committee and stakeholders to think about the next 20 years and what they would like to see related to rail. We heard about the need for safe and efficient rail infrastructure, more funding opportunities and improved passenger rail.”

The state last updated its rail plan in 2020, and officials said growing population makes the rail network critical for growth.

As of 2022, the population was more than 5.2 million and is expected to grow 11% to surpass 5.8 million by 2035, Gray said. Additionally, total employment will increase from 2.2 million in 2020 to 2.5 million by 2030.

“South Carolina railroads include a complex network that spans the full state and connects our people – and our economy – to the world,” Gray said. “This includes a system of Class I railroads with thousands of miles of track that span multiple states.

“In addition to our population, our economy is also growing. Our ports are expanding, along with our businesses, making rail even more important.”

According to the 2020 iteration of the plan, South Carolina has 2,400 miles of freight railroad, including 2,069 miles of Class I railroads – Norfolk Southern Railway and CSX Transportation – and 277 miles of what the report classified as local railroads.

State officials are in the third phase, which includes one-on-one interviews with rail stakeholders, including shippers, chambers of commerce and economic development agencies. This process is expected to continue until the end of the month, and state officials expect to finalize and publish the rail plan this summer.

“We are in the very early phases of developing this plan, and that involves a lot of data collection, and this public input portion is so important to what we’re doing,” Kelly Moore, state Department of Transportation director of public engagement, said during the hearing.