This story originally appeared on Trains.com.
ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern says its line between Asheville, North Carolina, and Newport, Tennessee — heavily damaged by Hurricane Helene — will be out of service until at least late January, while assessment of the route between Asheville and Old Fort, North Carolina, is ongoing.
In the area hardest hit in late September, on the line between Salisbury, North Carolina, and Morristown, Tennessee, assessments have determined that approximately 21,500 feet of track have been washed out, with more than 50,000 feet damaged by scour and an additional 15,000 feet of fill failure and slides. Multiple bridges have also been damaged.
The segments between Morristown and Newport, and between Salisbury and Old Fort, have been reopened even though public roadways remained unavailable in some areas.
The remoteness and mountain topography, coupled with conditions following the storm and resulting flooding, have made it difficult to assess damage in the areas around Asheville and over Black Mountain, the railroad says.
“We know firsthand at Norfolk Southern the critical role rail plays in connecting communities, and we continue to support ongoing recovery efforts,” Ed Boyle, Norfolk Southern vice president of engineering, said in a press release. “Our work is not finished, but our railroaders on the ground are the best in the business, and I want to thank them for their dedication and hard work in getting as much of our network restored as quickly and safely as possible so that we can continue to provide access to communities and move the goods we all rely on.”
The engineering team cleared more than 15,000 trees, repaired multiple washouts and over 50 damaged slide fences, and deployed more than 400 generators to safely operate in more than 1,000 locations without commercial power, the railroad says. All core routes were reopened within 72 hours of the hurricane making landfall.