ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Watco is the winning bidder for a cluster of Norfolk Southern lines in western North Carolina. The short line holding company has filed a “Certificate Of Compliance” with the Surface Transportation Board.
The name of the new operation will be Blue Ridge Southern Railroad LLC.
According to the filing, the new railroad will consist of three line segments between:
- Milepost T0.0 at Murphy Junction and Milepost T47.0 at Dillsboro
- Milepost W1.0 at Asheville and Milepost W26.0 at East Flat Rock
- Milepost TR0.0 at Hendersonville and Milepost TR19.8 at Pisgah Forest
The three line segments, totaling 91.8 miles, will make up two disconnected operations, one west and one south of Asheville. The transaction includes the remaining NS-operated portion of the famed Saluda Mountain route between Spartanburg, S.C., and Asheville. The line has not hosted through traffic in more than a decade; the sale of its northern portion makes reactivation even less likely.
Watco says it will hire about 32 positions in Canton, Arden, and Hendersonville to operate the lines.
Watco spokeswoman Tracie Van Becelaere tells Trains News Wire that the company has not set a date to begin operations and that further details will be available soon.
