Potential Passenger Rail Line in the Foothills Should Include Rejection of Car-centric Culture
As hopes for a 139-mile passenger rail line in western North Carolina gain traction, we examine the devasting effects of our car-centric culture.
BURKE COUNTY, North Carolina—The wheels are in motion for passenger rail to return to the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Optimism hasn't been this high among local train enthusiasts and public transit advocates in more than half a century.
Invigorated by the Marion-based Western North Carolina Rail Committee, Inc, among other groups, we could see the return of passenger rail to the region for the first time since 1975 writes Senior Reporter Marty Queen for The Paper.
The discontinuation of the Southern Railway in the 1970s enabled auto companies and the so-called “highway lobby” to further entrench themselves and their car-centric culture, increasing our dependence on fossil fuels. All while fattening the wallets of people with little regard for the environmental and societal effects of their industry.
It’s worth noting, however, that while General Motors benefitted greatly from the demise of railroads and streetcars, their conspiratorial involvement in the decline in rail throughout the United States might be a bit overstated.
Nonetheless, the transition from urban planning that centered on pedestrians and locomotives to that of cars resulted in the loss of social capital and local community and catalyzed the effects of climate change.
However, massive new funding for public transit projects is designed to turn the engines of progress several degrees toward a less car-centric society, a maneuver that should give egalitarian-minded residents, communitarians, and environmentally conscious citizens many reasons to be hopeful.
Is a 139-Mile Track Coming to the Foothills?
In 2021, the Federal Government passed the $550 billion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. This bipartisan effort directs $66 billion toward passenger and freight train service across the United States, “the largest investment in passenger rail since the creation of Amtrak,” per a statement from the White House.
It aims to “eliminate the Amtrak maintenance backlog, modernize the Northeast Corridor, and bring world-class rail service to areas outside the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic.”
This investment could soon lead to the creation of a 139-mile track between Asheville and Salisbury. Many of the towns along the I-40 corridor would likely garner train stations, including Old Fort, Marion, Morganton, and Valdese, to name a few.
The most recent study conducted for this railway project estimates a $665 million price point. However, upwards of 80% would be funded by the Federal Government, while the rest would need to be pulled from the coffers of the state and local governments.
Local Decision-Makers Are Onboard
Fortunately, several municipal leaders and boards have voiced support for a revival of railways in the region, largely because so much would be funded by the Federal Government.
Marion Mayor Steve Little
“There has never been this much federal money available for Amtrak before,” says Marion Mayor Steve Little, who also serves as co-chair of the Western North Carolina Rail Committee, Inc. “We’re excited in our group. This is truly the greatest opportunity we have had since this organization has existed in seeing the return of passenger rail.”
“In the last year or so,” he continues, “we’ve been quite energized because of that bipartisan infrastructure bill that has provided a long-overdue boost of money to the Amtrak system.”
Morganton City Manager Sally Sandy
In her third decade as Morganton’s City Manager, Sally Sandy vocalizes clear support for passenger rail in the Foothills.
“The City of Morganton would be happy to cooperate with the effort being put toward western North Carolina having a passenger rail service,” Sandy says. “We understand this initiative is a big opportunity for not only our local community, but North Carolina as a whole.”
Valdese Town Manager Seth Eckard
Morganton’s neighbors directly to the east echo these sentiments, as well.
“The town of Valdese is excited about the potential of passenger rail service to connect us from Asheville to Salisbury,” says Seth Eckard who has served as Valdese’s town manager since July 2015. “Passenger rail would benefit our economy, tourism, and quality of life. We are committed to working with partners and other stakeholders to make passenger rail a reality in Valdese.”
Queen further reports a single fare between mountainous Asheville and Piedmont-based Salisbury would cost roughly $24, although prices could change.
Additionally, operating costs are expected to range between $7.3 to $10.9 million annually, while average revenue would oscillate between $5 million to $8.6 million.
I’m one person who believes it’s worth the cost. And there are many reasons why.
But first, this development serves as an ideal opportunity to reflect more deeply upon the deleterious effects our car-centric culture has had on Appalachian communities.
The Ills Experienced by Car-centric Culture
Not only would the 139-mile railway be a huge boon to a still distressed Appalachian economy and local tourism, but it would go a long way in shifting the region away from the destruction of automobiles and a petroleum-based society.
Here are just a few ways car-centric living has been so detrimental to Appalachian communities.
Cars Contribute to Climate Change
Cars are an incredibly inefficient and environmentally destructive way to move people around the earth’s surface.
Sure, automobiles and trucks are 98-99% cleaner than they were in the late 1960s for smog-related pollutants, states the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
However, 28% of all greenhouse gas emissions in the United States still come from the transportation sector, the majority of which emit from the exhaust pipes of passenger cars, trucks, SUVs, and minivans, according to the EPA.
“In terms of the overall trend, from 1990 to 2021, total transportation emissions have increased due, in large part, to increased demand for travel,” they report.
This has been disastrous, accelerating climate change.
Each year, temperatures continue to rise, in large part due to our dependence on fossil fuels in the form of combustion-engine transportation (not to take the blame away from the US military-industrial complex, arguably the biggest greenhouse gas emitter in the world).
The rates of change in temperature throughout the United States are alarming.
Residents of the Foothills only have to reflect on the increased intensity of summer’s heat and the depletion of snowfall experienced since the childhoods of those born in the 1970s and 80s.
Notably, temperature changes throughout the United States have varied, with Appalachia being only slightly less affected than elsewhere. But it’s expected to worsen for decades even if we somehow manage to curb our dependence on fossil fuels now (something we’re not really doing all that well).
Alternatively, railroads are much more sustainable than cars, trucks, and SUVs. In fact, freight rails are 11 times more energy-efficient than trucks, while passenger rail is three times more efficient than cars.
Traveling by airplane is even worse.
For instance, according to 2018 figures from the UK Government, domestic flights produced 255 grams of carbon dioxide-equivalents per passenger kilometer compared to 41 grams by rail.
Automobiles Destroyed Appalachian Cities and Black Neighborhoods
Cars have not just damaged our natural environment, however.
They’ve contributed to the destruction of our cities, especially neighborhoods traditionally populated by communities of color—most of them centers of Black culture, commerce, and entertainment.
The interstate and highway system, built primarily after World War II, has destroyed many Appalachian cities, particularly traditionally Black and Hispanic neighborhoods—displacing residents, dividing communities, reducing property values, increasing pollution, and erasing cultural and economic assets.
Through the years, activists have protested against “white highways through Black bedrooms,” but have usually been ignored, their neighborhoods and culture steamrolled by the interests of the automobile and oil industries.
In the name of “urban renewal,” many historically Black neighborhoods were demolished to make room for highways and other structures.
This includes “the Bottom” in East Knoxville, Tennessee, the Triangle District in Charleston, West Virginia, and the Southside neighborhood in Asheville, North Carolina, which was part of, arguably, the largest urban renewal project in the southeastern United States.
These projects forced out thousands of residents, destroyed their homes and businesses, and severed the social and economic ties of Black communities. This set back Black wealth accumulation for generations, to say little of the economic devastation wreaked by chattel slavery, Jim Crow laws, white supremacy campaigns, redlining, and the persistence of modern slavery, also known as mass incarceration.
It’s clear that car-centric policies have been major culprits in the erasure of Black contributions to Appalachian culture and commerce.
Cars Isolate Us from One Another
Cars have hurt our communal lives, as well.
The proliferation of automobiles has fueled the increase in alienation and isolation we experience as Appalachians, the decline of social capital well documented by social scientist Robert Putnam in his national best-seller Bowling Alone.
Social capital refers to the human networks and norms of reciprocity that enable people to cooperate and trust each other. It’s often fostered by having “third places,” and frequent informal interactions with other members of our community, such as what happens on public transit (such as busses, trains, and ferries) and in walkable cities so fiercely advocated for by Jane Jacobs, who coined the term “social capital.”
For instance, Putnam argues that one of the reasons for the decline of social capital in the US is the suburbanization and sprawl that increase our dependence on cars and extend commute lengths.
Sure, cars give us a certain degree of autonomy, but that comes at the expense of generating social capital and nurturing a strong sense of place.
Being part of a community doesn’t mean never having quiet time for yourself, but when we calculate how many hours we waste in the car each year, it’s easy to see how many opportunities for connection are lost.
The average American spends roughly 17,600 minutes a year driving, according to a 2016 study by the American Automobile Association. That translated to 13,476 miles annually in 2022, per figures from the United States Federal Highway Administration.
Longer commutes reduce the time and energy that people have for social interaction, civic engagement, and community participation. As a result, this leads to lower levels of trust, cooperation, and social cohesion among fellow Appalachians.
It’s worth noting, trust and cooperation are especially important for thriving democracies.
Furthermore, cars exacerbate the trends of atomization, a process by which families and communities are broken down in pursuit of hyper-individualism and personal autonomy. A car is often an extension and reinforcement of individuality. As our individuality gains clarity (and we become accustomed to traveling alone), our relationships with the community weaken.
Many would argue that cars are also symbols and instruments of consumerism and materialism, as well—promoting self-interest and competition over the kinds of solidarity and cooperation we’re trying to encourage at Common Appalachian.
Alternatively, active modes of transportation, such as walking or cycling, foster more social contact and awareness of our local surroundings, while passive modes, such as driving cars or trucks (and even flying), isolate us from our neighbors and reduce our sense of place.
Admittedly, travel by train may be more passive than bi-pedal transportation, but it also permits much greater freedom of interaction (and bodily movement) than the rigid protocols of physically cramped and socially muted air travel.
Relying on cars limits our opportunities for casual encounters and the serendipitous moments that occur in public spaces—including strolls on sidewalks around town, daily trips on the bus, or routine rides on a passenger train.
Automotives Are Vastly More Dangerous Than Trains
When was the last time you heard about a death, let alone an injury, from riding a passenger train?
Yes, passenger train travel is minuscule (for now) compared to other modes throughout the United States, but if you look at the numbers per capita, the safety of travel by rail leaves automobiles in the dust.
In fact, the numbers are astounding.
According to a 2021 study by the National Safety Council, a leading nonprofit safety advocate organization, the death rate of automotive passengers per 100,000,000 miles was more than 20 times higher than for buses and 17 times that for train passengers.
Cities Aren’t Loud, Cars Are Loud
One last point on cars.
An increasing number of urbanists are drawing attention to the fact many of our urban ills are directly connected to car-centric city planning. This leads to not only (sub)urban sprawl that often undermines placemaking and bankrupts cities, but increases noise and air pollution and pedestrian injuries and fatalities.
If you’ve visited European cities and towns, especially those retaining more traditional building patterns, you’ll find fewer cars, more vibrant street life, and an energetic kind of quiet that’s absent from most American cities.
It’s no coincidence that so many European municipalities are beloved by American tourists. A majority of them were built prior to the invention of the automobile. In a word, they’re less car-centric.
While plenty of European cities fell prey to some of the monstrous design principles that plague most American urban landscapes, many have undergone revivals to restore them to their pre-automotive glory (Copenhagen comes to mind).
These picturesque cityscapes in Europe, be they bustling urban centers or charming small towns, give us a glimpse of what we can realize in Appalachia if we find the political will necessary to abandon our addiction to the fossil fuel economy.
A Decision Will Be Made in the Fall
Traveling by train has a lot of upsides. And it doesn’t have to rely merely on nostalgia, either, although even the most modest of train cars have a unique allure unrivaled by automotive travel.
So, what are the chances this new rail line will come to the Foothills anytime soon?
It’s unclear when, but progress toward approval on a new rail line between Asheville and Salisbury is already underway.
According to Queen’s report, the North Carolina Department of Transportation has already applied to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) for approval of the new corridor.
Upon its approval by the FRA’s Corridor Identification and Development program (CID), 90% of a “more in-depth study of the overall feasibility of the project” would then be funded by the CID.
A decision on that application is expected to be made this fall.
If it is approved, the success and completion of the rail line will depend largely on the collaboration of communities in our region, as well as leadership support from local governments.
And if that materializes, then we may soon get a glimpse of what life can be like without the health dangers, communal costs, and environmental destruction we face living in such a car-centric society.
Excellent article - thank you, Jeffrey!
So ready for our train centric future!!