Norfolk Southern restores the final rail link severed by Hurricane Helene.
OLD FORT, NC — In the beautiful, majestic blue skies of Western North Carolina, for the first time in 19 months, the silent, rusted rails of the Blue Ridge Mountains hummed with the weight of moving steel. On Saturday, April 18, 2026, a Norfolk Southern freight train successfully climbed the legendary Old Fort Loops, marking the official reopening of the final major rail corridor severed by Hurricane Helene in 2024.
The 13-mile stretch between Old Fort and Swannanoa is more than a transit route; it is a feat of 19th-century engineering that gains over 1,000 feet in elevation through a series of complex spirals and seven tunnels. After being decimated by landslides and washouts, many feared the “Loops” would be abandoned. Instead, the line has become a symbol of Western North Carolina’s grit and recovery.
A Multimillion-Dollar Resurrection
The restoration was a monumental task for Norfolk Southern, which invested roughly $50 million into the project. The damage from Helene was so severe that some sections of the track were suspended in mid-air after the ground beneath them vanished.
Rebuilding the line required:
- 51,000 linear feet of support piles driven into the mountain.
- 140,000 tons of stone and aggregate used to stabilize the steep grades.
- Extensive clearing and reinforcement of the historic tunnels, some of which date back to the 1870s.
According to a report from Blue Ridge Public Radio (BPR), the reopening is a “key milestone” that restores full through-service from Asheville to Salisbury and the broader Eastern Seaboard.
Honoring a Complex History
While the reopening was celebrated with a “Welcome Back” rally at the historic Old Fort Depot, local leaders also took a moment to acknowledge the line’s dark origins. Built in the late 1800s, the Loops were constructed by thousands of incarcerated laborers, the vast majority of whom were African American men.
Many of these workers died during the treacherous construction through the Blue Ridge granite. Today, a memorial stands in Old Fort to honor their forced contribution to the infrastructure that built the region.
The Road to Passenger Rail
With freight service restored, the focus now shifts to an even more ambitious goal: the return of passenger trains to Asheville.
Advocates, including the Western North Carolina Rail Committee, are utilizing this momentum to push for a proposed 139-mile passenger corridor between Asheville and Salisbury. A recent NCDOT study estimates that restoring this service could generate a $1 billion economic boost for the region. If successful, passengers would once again be able to experience the breathtaking views of the Old Fort Loops—a luxury not available since service was discontinued in 1975.
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