Apex reviews $18 million order-of-magnitude plan to upgrade Durham Spur as step toward moving CSX operations out of downtown

Steve Ces, senior vice president at WSP, told the Apex Town Council the consultant team reoriented an initial site-relocation study to focus on upgrading the town’s Durham Spur — the rail link used by CSX for local switching — because the company said it would consider increasing authorized track speed from 10 miles per hour (FRA class 1) to 25 miles per hour (class 2).

The change in scope followed CSX’s July discussion with the project team, when staff learned that CSX serves about 10 local customers from Apex and runs crews on roughly 12‑hour circuits. “Once they hit 12 hours, they have to do a crew change,” Ces said, and moving the facility farther south could force additional crew changes that affect operations.

WSP’s field assessment found the corridor generally in workable condition but with some aged rail (75–125 years in spots), localized tie replacement needs and about 23 grade crossings to consider. Using conservative, lower‑end per‑mile assumptions for reused rail, ties, ballast and drainage, the team estimated roughly $12 million in construction costs and applied a 50% contingency to reflect limited corridor access and the preliminary level of analysis, producing an order‑of‑magnitude figure of about $18 million.

The consultants broke down ranges per component: roughly $200,000–$700,000 per mile if used rail can be reused, $800,000–$1.5 million per mile for new rail, roughly $300,000 per mile for tie work on spot‑replacement assumptions, and roughly $100,000 per mile for ballast in the corridor as observed. Ces stressed these are high‑level assumptions that require a full corridor inspection and additional operational modeling.

Council members repeatedly pressed the presenters on whether a speed upgrade alone would enable relocating CSX operations out of downtown. One councilor asked whether faster track would meaningfully change run times if most time is spent loading and unloading customers; Ces and staff replied that a broader analysis of how trains interact across the network (the S‑line and connections north and south of Durham) is needed to answer that question.

Several councilors also flagged the project’s risk profile. Council member Mood and others stressed CSX is a private railroad and under no obligation to relocate or accept cost sharing; moving operations would likely require land acquisition and a built facility with crew amenities, and CSX indicated it may expect the project sponsor to assume ongoing maintenance of any upgraded track. “CSX is not going to make money if it switches to trucks,” one speaker said in the discussion, underscoring CSX’s commercial incentives.

Consultants recommended a next phase of work — operational modeling and a complete Durham Spur inspection — at an estimated $300,000–$400,000 to refine capital costs, identify necessary crossing closures or separations, and strengthen any federal grant application. Staff and consultants listed potential federal programs that commonly support rail projects, including the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) program, BUILD (and similar holistic infrastructure programs) and rail crossing elimination funds or CRISI‑type opportunities.

Several council members said they were unwilling to have the town carry the full near‑term study cost without clearer assurances that a project would advance and that CSX would participate. At least two members recommended pausing further town-funded study work while pursuing regional partners and grant match options; other members supported pursuing grant opportunities and limited regional funding to cover the next study phase.

The consultant and staff guidance to the council was procedural: continue the technical work only if it can be made competitive for federal grants and if regional partners or CSX commitments emerge; otherwise pause further town-funded study spending and monitor opportunities. Staff said regional funding requests for the next fiscal cycle are due in October and suggested pursuing match commitments to improve grant competitiveness.

What’s next: staff will follow up with Campo and regional partners to explore funding for the recommended next‑phase study, clarify potential local match levels, and return with refined cost and timeline recommendations before the council authorizes further town expenditures.