The US state of North Carolina has submitted a total of $5bn in applications for high-speed rail projects.
The state has applied for four projects for further development of the federally designated Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor.
Theses include adding double track, passing sidings and building bridges to separate highway from rail. The improvements are aimed at enabling trains to reach speeds of 90–110mph on the nearly 500-mile long corridor between Charlotte and Washington DC.
The state has linked with the state of Virginia to finish a corridor development plan connecting North Carolina, Charlotte, Greensboro and Raleigh with Richmond Va and Washington DC, which would run trains at 90–110mph.
The state department of transportation has worked with the North Carolina Railroad Company, Norfolk Southern Railway, CSX Transportation and Amtrak to complete the applications.
