Winston-Salem, NC
Stop on the proposed 17,000-mile maglev network. Next stop: High Point, NC (16.6 mi).
About Winston-Salem
Winston-Salem is a city in and the county seat of Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States. It anchors the Winston-Salem metropolitan statistical area, which is located in the west-to-southwestern area of the Piedmont Triad region. The Winston-Salem Metropolitan Area had an estimated population of 712,206 in 2025.
Source: Wikipedia summary (full article). Population and facts as published there.
Cost breakdown (proposal-scale estimates — see math)
| Item | Basis | Estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Terminal construction | Mid-size city — metro tier (range $1–2B) | $1.5B |
| Land acquisition | Regional factor 1.0× on $200M base | $200M |
| Track: Winston-Salem → High Point | 16.6 mi × $500M/mi | $8.3B |
| Annual operations (share) | Staffing, power, maintenance | $30M/yr |
| Stop total (excl. annual ops) | $10B |
Best terminal location (proposed)
The Union Station district downtown. Winston-Salem's restored Union Station anchors a downtown rail corridor with surrounding industrial parcels suitable for redevelopment. The terminal would serve the city's medical and university anchors and the Triad's western half, feeding the corridor east toward High Point.
Before / after
Aerial mock-up (illustrative, not an engineering rendering). Left: the proposed site today. Right: with the maglev terminal.
- Kernersville, NC — town midway on the I-40/US-421 corridor.
- Colfax, NC — small community on the Guilford–Forsyth line.
- The Piedmont Triad International Airport area — regional jobs and logistics hub.