Norfolk Southern Gives Update On Railroad

Norfolk Southern Railroad gave an update on the line that runs from Newport to Asheville, NC. You might recall that railroad was heavily damaged from the flooding caused by Hurricane Helene, with section of track washed out and many sections of the track covered by debris. In Newport, the Pigeon River’s rise caused the collapse of the railroad trestle easdt of downtown.

Norfolk Southern annopunced on Wednesday that the railroad line is projected to now reopen on March 31. This railroad line runs from Morristown to Newport, then to Asheville, NC and on to Grovestone, NC. Norfolk Southern says the reopening of the railroad will help recovery efforts in western North Carolina, especially in Asheville and Hendersonville. Norfolk Southern stated in their release on Wednesday…“After Hurricane Helene moved through the Southeast in late September, bringing with it historic flooding and unprecedented damage, hundreds of railroaders from Norfolk Southern jumped into action. Teams reopened all core routes affected by the storm within 72 hours of landfall, clearing over 15,000 trees, deploying 400+ generators, and repairing multiple washouts, often in very challenging conditions and difficult-to-reach regions.”

The run of the railroad from Morristown to Newport was reopened shortly after the flooding event, in early October.