SPARTANBURG, S.C. — The organization seeking to buy the Saluda Grade from Norfolk Southern for conversion to a trail will pay $31.5 million — $1 million a mile — for the route between Zirconia, N.C., and Inman, S.C., the Spartanburg Post and Courier reports.
The states of North Carolina and South Carolina will each contribute $15 million for the transaction, Glenn Hilliard, founder and chair of the Saluda Grade Trails Conservancy, told the newspaper. The cost had not previously been announced under the terms of the sale.
“The money is being held until we make the final decision that we’re going to close the deal,” Hilliard said. “The contract is for that price unless something comes up differently. When we close, that money will be transferred to Norfolk Southern.”
The conservancy is made up of three organizations: Spartanburg PAL, Upstate Forever, and Conserving Carolina. It is currently conducting due diligence on the round, which includes an environmental assessment, title work, and surveys. Also in progress: hiring consultants to develop an economic plan with a focus on tourism marketing, and community engagement to keep the public involved in the trail-building process.
The conservancy also has received about $6 million in federal funds for the development process, including design and construction. It also will obtain some funding from sale of the rails along the line, which could raise several hundred thousand to a few million dollars, Hilliard said, depending on market factors. Much more funding will be required to build the trail, which, depending on the design, could cost $1.1 million to $5.5 million per mile.
The conservancy announced its agreement to purchase the route in March 2023 [see “Norfolk Southern to sell Saluda Grade …,” Trains News Wire, March 16, 2023. The railroad filed for abandonment of the long-dormant line — once the steepest mainline grade in the U.S. — last fall [see “Norfolk Southern files …,” News Wire, Nov. 1, 2024]. The Surface Transportation Board’s environmental office has recommended that Norfolk Southern be required to consult with South Carolina’s Department of Transportation about grade crossings that will remain, its only condition for abandonment [see “STB environmental office clears path …,” News Wire, Nov. 25, 2024].
