Rail News – North Carolina Railroad awards $2M in ‘build ready’ investments. For Railroad Career Professionals

The North Carolina Railroad Co. (NCRR) yesterday announced the award of $2 million to rail-served sites across four North Carolina counties in the third year of its Build Ready Sites (BRS) program.

Project developers in the counties will use the funds to complete improvements at rail-served sites in preparation of future industrial development, NCRR official said in a press release. The recipients are a Great Meadows site in Burke County, an Ammons site in Nash County, an Energy Way industrial complex in Richmond County and a Highway I site in Warren County.

Rail-served sites that are made “build ready” attract new businesses by priming properties for construction without an upfront investment from an interested client, they said. The BRS program helps the recipients, many of which are local governments, bypass a potential client company’s need to prepare a rail-served site for construction, NCRR officials said.

BRS funds can be used for land preparation, such as clearing and grading and extending water and sewer capabilities. The selection criteria for the program prioritize proposals from rural and economically distressed communities; sites with demonstrated community backing; and locations with support from infrastructure partners, including railroads and certain utility providers.