Rail service through Black Mountain likely to resume this winter

Norfolk Southern announces plans to rebuild historic Old Fort Loops

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
May 27, 2025

Freight rail service through the Swannanoa Valley will likely resume this winter, following a May 20 announcement that Norfolk Southern Corp. will repair a section known as the Old Fort Loops. Photo by Fred McCormick

The sights and sounds of trains chugging through the Swannanoa Valley are expected to return, following a May 20 announcement of plans to rebuild the historic Old Fort Loops that connect the Piedmont to the Blue Ridge Mountains. 

Norfolk Southern Corp., which operates the winding 16-mile stretch of tracks that have been out of service since Tropical Storm Helene last September, expects to complete the work this winter. 

The rail company, which owns and operates nearly 20,000 miles of lines in 22 states, east of the Mississippi River, resumed freight service from Eastern Tennessee into Asheville on its AS Line, May 20, following multiple storm-related projects in an area between Newport, Tennessee and Asheville. 

“Engineering teams rebuilt 128 locations totaling over 13 miles of track…” the release stated. “(We) utilized over 160,000 tons of aggregate materials and cleared over 2,000 trees. The restoration work, which has all been privately funded, reflects Norfolk Southern’s commitment to the economic recovery of the region.” 

The Old Fort Loops, completed by the Western N.C. Railway in 1880, incorporate a series of seven tunnels and 9 miles of track to navigate the 1,100-foot climb from Old Fort to Ridgecrest. The project, which relied on the forced labor of prisoners, represented an engineering feat that connected the previously isolated mountains to seasonal visitors and a growing economy on the eastern side of the state. Passenger service through the Swannanoa Gap, widely used throughout most of the 20th century, ceased in 1975. 

Completed repairs on the AS Line operated by Norfolk Southern Corp. since Tropical Storm Helene include a section of track from Newport, Tennessee to Asheville. The company plans to complete work on the Old Fort Loops, east of Black Mountain, this winter. Courtesy image

Acquired by Norfolk Southern in 1999, the stretch of railroad tracks was “severely damaged” during the natural disaster. 

“Until now, the company had been conducting an extended evaluation of line damage for restoration,” Norfolk Southern stated in the release. “The line rebuild is expected to be completed this winter.”

Resuming freight service into Asheville was “a positive step” in recovery efforts in Western N.C., according to Governor Josh Stein. 

“This development will help businesses regain their livelihoods and strengthen our supply chain so that WNC can build back stronger,” he said.