From Staff Reports

ASHEVILLE, N.C.— A proposed Amtrak rail route “could bring thousands of passengers to Western North Carolina and revive a historic form of travel for small mountain towns like Old Fort,” Asheville television station WLOS (News 13) reported on Dec. 23.

“The proposal is part of a larger state rail plan that would establish passenger service across North Carolina,” News 13 noted. :”Supporters say the route could boost tourism, create jobs and reconnect communities to their railroad past.

“Local tourism leaders say interest in traveling to Western North Carolina already exists, and rail service could make the journey itself part of the appeal.”

Meanwhile Omi Salavea, marketing manager for Destination McDowell, told News 13 the following:

 “We already have a lot of interest eastward when it comes to coming to Asheville or Old Fort and I think this is just going to be another incentive, like let’s make traveling to Western North Carolina a whole experience,” 

“The rail would add to that placemaking that small rural towns are looking for. If you are a destination along the route, why not make the effort to stop and learn more about that destination that helped build the history of that area or the history of travel in Western North Carolina?”

According to a report from the Institute for Transportation Research and North Carolina State University, the proposed rail line would offer three daily roundtrips between Asheville and Salisbury. (News 13 noted that it had obtained a copy of the report from the Western North Carolina Rail Committee.)

“Supporters say the nostalgia associated with train travel could also be a major draw for visitors,” News 13 noted.

“The romanticism around train rides and rail travel still exists in America and I think that’s something that will appeal to a lot of people as they come to Western North Carolina,” Salavea told News 13.

The NCDOT estimates the project would cost about $650 million.

The report also states the rail line could create more than 300 jobs and generate an estimated $60 million in economic impact.

“For many residents, however, the project is about more than an economic boost,” News 13 stated.

To that end, Salavea asserted, “We lost some of that [history] and there’s still families and people in the community that want to see that restored and bring that rich history and bring that rich experience not just to visitors, but to the community.”

According to NCDOT, the state rail plan is accepting public comment until Jan. 20.

News 13’s “Comment Bubble” that appared after its story included the following assertions:

• CyanFan — “One of the things that I liked about traveling rail in Europe was the scenery and the food. Obviously no “airline” food, meals were prepared onboard in some instances like that of a restaurant. When it came to scenery, I cannot remember exactly how much advertising I seen along the way but there wasn’t much in the way of billboards or the like. Mother nature got the chance to strut her stuff and that’s important if you want people to ride your train. Some or all of the cars in coach had observation decks along with big picture windows to look out from so you don’t miss a thing. Bringing along a camera and binoculars is very common place, especially now since we have cameras on our phones. A modern, clean, and efficient rail system not only would be very beneficial to WNC but to the the whole of the US as well. IMO of course. (edit: . . . and so much more comfortable and less confining than a musky, crowded ol’ airline.)”

• Ataboy56 — “My last trip to Europe we put 1,823 miles on our rental car. We drove from Southern Germany to Switzerland, Austria, Lichtenstein, France, Belgium, Holland, Luxembourg, Normandy....” 

• CyanFan — “Would loved to have been on that ride!”

• ATruthTeller — “I’m all in favor of GOOD and FAST train service. And passenger rail in many other countries is light years ahead of the U.S.

“But this isn’t the way to do it. It’s literally a train to nowhere. Asheville to Salisbury? How many people are going to give up their private vehicles so they can board a train that only goes once a day and that makes multiple stops before even getting to Salisbury? Some will try it once like some kind of amusement park ride, but they’ll never do it again. Five years after this gets started, people will be shaking their heads wondering why it didn’t work.”

• Smathers — “You know what else it does? It gives them the ability to fill up all those empty apartments. Have you noticed that most of them are built near rail lines… And guess who they will fill them with — from all over the country?”

• CyanFan — “An increase in tourism is a good possibility. While traveling Europe, the rail system was the way to go. Fares were reasonable and the scenery magnificent! A good many folks there traveled by rail.”