The South Carolina Public Railways, a division of the South Carolina Department of Commerce, has called for a statewide rail plan, which it expects to be complete by January.

S.C. Public Railways chose Wilbur Smith Associates, a full-service transportation and infrastructure consulting firm, to complete the comprehensive plan. The company has prepared four rail plans in South Carolina, and a total of 46 plans for 24 states.

The rail plan will outline the inventory of South Carolina’s current large industrial sites and make recommendations related to future development of logistics, infrastructure and economic development that could improve the attractiveness of existing resources for potential investors.

“Over the past two years, Commerce and its allies have recruited jobs and investments at record-breaking levels,” South Carolina Secretary of Commerce Joe Taylor said. “South Carolina must take the necessary steps now to continue this success in the years ahead. By examining current infrastructure capabilities and future opportunities that may exist through the development of available sites, we are positioning South Carolina to be an even more attractive location to do business.”

The rail plan will review the impact of rail on economic development in South Carolina, including both passenger and freight, and its role in the multimodal transportation infrastructure of South Carolina and the Southeast region. It also will examine the state’s existing infrastructure, including the rail system, the interstate system, access to the Port of Charleston and the future Jasper port, as well as large industrial sites with potential to be developed into mega sites. The rail plan will identify rail opportunities to meet the state’s current and future economic development needs, including improving rail access to support largescale industrial growth.

“It has been 10 years since we have taken a hard look at our infrastructure and rail,” said SCDOC spokesperson Kara Borie. “At the SCDOC, we have had two back-to-back record-breaking years of industrial recruitment. We want to take a proactive and comprehensive look at state infrastructure and lay the groundwork for future economic development to ensure we have resources in place to continue our success in the years ahead.”

The rail plan will be developed with the input of several state agencies and divisions, including S.C. Department of Transportation, SCSPA, the Department of Commerce Aeronautics Division, S.C. Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism, Public Service Commission, Office of Research and Statistics and the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control.

The SCDOC also will seek input from Norfolk Southern, CSX Transportation, short-line rail operators, local economic development alliances and councils of government.

Bernard S. Groseclose Jr., SCSPA president and CEO, is pleased that the SCSPA will be involved with the rail plan development.

“South Carolina’s economic development has prospered in the last decade, resulting in more distribution centers, manufacturing sites and warehousing facilities,” he said. “Now is the perfect time to examine our excellent rail system and fine-tune it to better serve existing facilities, while preparing for future economic development opportunities.”

Port Charleston is a publication of the S.C. State Ports Authority.

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