NC: Railroad conference in Morganton focuses on passenger trains, rebuilding from Helene

All day on Wednesday, leaders of western North Carolina communities and state officials joined with representatives from Amtrak, CSX and Norfolk Southern to talk about railroads.

The Railroads and Regional Economic Development Conference took place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Morganton Community House. The event included the mayors of Marion, Old Fort, Asheville and Morganton, along with economic development leaders from the state of North Carolina, Caldwell and Mitchell counties.

They talked about the possible return of passenger rail service to western North Carolina and heard how CSX rebuilt its rail line that runs from east Tennessee to Spruce Pine after Hurricane Helene. A representative of Norfolk Southern spoke about how railroads play an essential role in growing economies in rural areas.

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