Atlanta-based Norfolk Southern said it expects it will take months for it to repair railroad tracks going to and from Asheville, North Carolina, after damage from Hurricane Helene.
Helene, which hit western North Carolina in late September causing catastrophic damage and flooding, also caused “unanticipated topography changes to parts of the region,” according to Norfolk Southern.
The railroad was able to reopen core routes in its network within 72 hours of the hurricane by clearing 15,000 trees, repairing washed out areas and deploying hundreds of generators.
But a local rail line that runs from Salisbury, North Carolina, through Asheville and the Blue Ridge Mountains to Morristown, Tennessee, was severely damaged with 21,500 feet of track washed out.
It’s part of a stretch of track in an area where rail is often used to move coal as well as forest and consumer products, including lumber, plywood, paper products, packaging, commodities and pallet shipments.
Tens of thousands of feet of rail were damaged by erosion and multiple bridges were damaged, according to the railroad.
On Wednesday, part of the rail line from Old Fort, North Carolina, east of Asheville was reopened, along with another portion of the rail line in Tennessee west of Asheville.
But Norfolk Southern now expects it won’t be able to reopen the section of the rail line between Newport, Tennessee, to Asheville until late January 2025.
And it is still evaluating the track between Asheville and Old Fort, which it has difficulty assessing because it is a remote area of mountainous terrain.
Since the rail line through Asheville is not a primary mainline, shipments can still connect to the rest of Norfolk Southern’s network, but cannot go through Asheville on its track.
Credit: Source: Norfolk Southern
Credit: Source: Norfolk Southern
“We know firsthand at Norfolk Southern the critical role rail plays in connecting communities, and we continue to support ongoing recovery efforts,” Ed Boyle, Norfolk Southern’s vice president of engineering, said in a written statement.
Boyle thanked the railroad’s workers “for their dedication and hard work in getting as much of our network restored as quickly and safely as possible so that we can continue to provide access to communities and move the goods we all rely on.”
Norfolk Southern has donated $100,000 to the American Red Cross for hurricane relief efforts and is providing grants to the railroad’s employees for disaster-related losses and expenses.
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