Freight Trains to Resume Asheville Routes After Hurricane

Norfolk Southern says it expects to reopen its freight railroad line between Asheville and Tennessee by the end of March, six months after tracks and bridges were damaged by the remnants of Hurricane Helene.

The reopening is an important step in the recovery of the Western North Carolina economy. While most goods move in and out of the region by truck, trains are critical for shipping bulk materials such as malt, grain, stone and chemicals, says Ashley Swanger, director of industrial services for the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce.

“It’s not a huge number of businesses or industries that are impacted,” Swanger said. “But for the ones who depend on it, they really depend on it. There really isn’t a good alternative if you need to move products in bulk or that size.”

Flooding and landslides severed both long-distance freight railroad lines that pass through Western North Carolina, cutting rail-dependent businesses off from customers and suppliers elsewhere in the country. Both railroads, CSX and Norfolk Southern, have made progress but still have miles of track to rebuild.

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Floodwaters near the Biltmore Village in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in Asheville, N.C., on Sept. 28, 2024. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

Norfolk Southern’s AS Line has been out of service from Old Fort through Asheville to Newport, Tenn., since the storm. Altogether, the company says more than four miles of track were washed out and another 12 miles damaged by scour or slides.

The company focused its efforts on restoring the tracks along the French Broad River, including switching yards in the Asheville River Arts District and near Biltmore Village. The Blue Ridge Southern Railroad, a short-line company that serves businesses along routes through Hendersonville and Waynesville, connects to the outside world at Norfolk Southern’s yard in Asheville.

A key milestone came this month with the construction of a new 300-foot bridge over the Pigeon River in Newport. Floodwaters and debris slammed into the steel-truss bridge that Norfolk Southern’s predecessor, Southern Railway, built in 1917, damaging it beyond repair.

The new bridge will enable Norfolk Southern to restore service from near Black Mountain east into Tennessee by the end of the month.

“We know how critical having that rail connection is to so many of the industries that operate in this region,” Stefan Loeb, vice president for business development, said in a written statement. “We cannot thank our customers enough for their continued patience and support as we work to restore service.”

Still ahead is the section of Norfolk Southern’s line between Black Mountain and Old Fort, which connects the Asheville area with the rest of North Carolina. That part of the line tops the Eastern Continental Divide with a series of horseshoe turns through rugged terrain, and the company does not yet know when that track will be restored, said spokeswoman Heather Garcia.

CSX, whose Blue Ridge Subdivision is a key link between the Southeast and Midwest, was able to restore limited service from Spruce Pine south toward Charlotte and South Carolina last fall. In January, it reached a key customer, The Quartz Co., just north of Spruce Pine.

But the company is still working to rebuild about 40 miles of tracks along the North Toe and Nolichucky rivers from Spruce Pine northwest into Tennessee. The swollen rivers washed out two bridges and miles of track in the steep, remote valley.

CSX was able to retrieve rails, ballast and some bridge spans from the river to help with reconstruction. The company hopes to rebuild the tracks and bridges and resume service through the mountains sometime this fall, according to spokeswoman Sheriee Bowman.

“Our crews and contractors are working simultaneously from both ends of the rail line to establish access in difficult to reach areas and reconstruct the railbed,” Bowman wrote in an email. “We’ve made some good progress.”