NC By Train

NC By Trainis abrand nameused by theRail Divisionof theNorth Carolina Department of Transportation(NCDOT) for two state-supportedAmtrakroutes operating in the U.S. state ofNorth Carolina–theCarolinianand thePiedmont.

History

Amtrak (in full, the National Railroad Passenger Corporation) took over most intercity rail service in the United States in 1971. At the outset, service through North Carolina was mostly limited to long-distance routes that were not well-suited for regional travel. This remained unchanged whenSouthern Railway,one of the larger railroads that initially opted to keep its passenger services, handed its routes to Amtrak in 1979.

By 1984, Amtrak service in North Carolina was limited to four trains: theNew Orleans–New YorkCrescent,which passed throughCharlotteand thePiedmont Triad;the New York–MiamiSilver Meteorand New York–SavannahPalmetto,which both passed through theSandhills;and the New York–MiamiSilver Star,which passed throughRaleigh.The only daylight service came from thePalmettoand northboundSilver Star.

In that year,GovernorJim Huntcreated a Public Transportation Division within NCDOT.Partly due to Hunt's efforts, Amtrak introduced theCarolinianon October 28, 1984, as a Charlotte-New York service, supported with a yearly $436,000 state subsidy. It operated as a section of thePalmetto,running from Charlotte through Greensboro and Raleigh along the state-ownedNorth Carolina Railroadbefore joining thePalmettoatRichmond, Virginiafor the journey to New York.It was the first direct service between Charlotte and Raleigh in 30 years (or 50 years, depending on the source), and the first North Carolina-focused service in 20 years.

Amtrak intended theCarolinianto be a one-year pilot project, and strongly considered making it a permanent fixture in its schedule. However, due to poor marketing, many passengers did not know that the train offered much of the state a one-seat ride to New York. As a result, while ridership far exceeded projections, theCarolinianlost over $800,000 as most passengers opted to travel within North Carolina and not continue north of the Virginia border. When North Carolina declined to increase its subsidy, Amtrak withdrew theCarolinianon September 3, 1985.

Hunt's successor,Jim Martin,was also committed to the development of passenger rail. He created a Passenger Rail Task Force that recommended preserving rail corridors for both freight and passengers. It also recommended additional passenger service along theI-85 Corridorfrom Charlotte to Raleigh.In 1990, Amtrak and the state introduced a second incarnation of theCarolinian.It ran along the same route as its 1984-85 predecessor, but joined thePalmettoatRocky Mount.This incarnation was successful enough that within a year, Amtrak not only made theCarolinianpermanent, but made it a full-fledged day train running independently from Charlotte to New York.

Building on this success, NCDOT formed a Rail Unit, which was expanded to a full-fledged division in 1995. During this time, state officials pressed for additional service along the fast-growing I-85 Corridor. However, Amtrak initially balked, claiming that it did not have enough rolling stock to spare. NCDOT decided to buy its own equipment.In the fall of 1990, NCDOT bought five repurposed coaches and leased two locomotives for the planned Charlotte-Raleigh service, named thePiedmont,which began service on May 25, 1995. It would have begun service sooner, butNorfolk Southern Railway,which operates the North Carolina Railroad under a longstanding lease with the state, insisted that the state build awyein Charlotte to turn the trains around. Previously, the southbound Carolinian had to make a time-consuming 10-mile (16 km)deadheadtrip to the nearest wye inPineville, North Carolina.A second round trip was added in 2010, followed by a third in 2018. A fourth was planned for 2021,butCOVID-19issues pushed it back to 2023.

Marketing and operations

Unlike many states that subsidize Amtrak routes within their borders, North Carolina handles much of the marketing and operations for its state-subsidized services itself. It continued to distribute printed timetables for theCarolinianandPiedmontafter Amtrak discontinued printed timetables. It operates a toll-free information line, 800-BY-TRAIN, which is staffed by North Carolinians. NCDOT also sets the schedules for thePiedmontand owns the equipment, though it is operated by Amtrak train crews.

The NCDOT offers free transit passes which allow detrainingCarolinianandPiedmontpassengers to get one free bus ride and one transfer on the same day of travel. Passes are honored by 13 participating transit systems along its route.

Routes

Carolinian

Main article:Carolinian (train)

The northbound Carolinian pulling intoHigh Point

TheCarolinian,operating since 1990 and in its current form since 1991, is a 704 mi (1,133 km) route from Charlotte to New York, running once daily in each direction. It serves Charlotte,Kannapolis,Salisbury,High Point,Greensboro,Burlington,Durham,Cary,Raleigh,Selma,Wilsonand Rocky Mount before continuing to theNortheast Corridorvia Richmond. Seasonally, it also serves theNorth Carolina State FairandLe xing tonBarbecue Festival.North Carolina subsidizes the train from Charlotte to the Virginia border.

It is augmented by threeAmtrak Thruwayroutes, two connecting Wilson to large swaths of eastern North Carolinaand one connectingWinston-Salemand High Point.

Volunteers from the North Carolina Train Host Association are on hand between Charlotte and Selma to provide information about points of interest in North Carolina. Station hosts are also on hand at the state's three busiest stations–Charlotte, Greensboro and Raleigh.

The Kannapolis, Salisbury, High Point, Burlington and Selma stations are served by NC Station Attendants who meet all trains and answer travel questions. The other stations along the route are staffed with Amtrak personnel with full ticketing and baggage service.

Piedmont

Main article:Piedmont (train)

NCDOT F59PH locomotive 1869City of Durhamleads thePiedmontat Salisbury in August 2016

The Piedmont, operating since 1995, is a 173 mi (278 km) route from Charlotte to Raleigh with four daily round trips. It travels along the far southern leg of theCarolinianroute, largely parallelingInterstate 85.While theCarolinianusesAmtrak rolling stockpainted in Amtrak's national red-white-blue scheme, thePiedmontuses state-owned locomotives and coaches painted in a blue-silver-red palette echoing theNorth Carolina state flag.Its introduction enabled same-day business travel between Charlotte and Raleigh.

Proposed expansion

Corridor Identification Program routes

In May 2023, the NCDOT Rail Division submitted twelve routes to theFederal Railroad Administration'sCorridor Identification and Development Program,a mechanism for developing new train routes under theInfrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.In December 2023, seven of these routes were accepted into the program:

• AshevilletoSalisbury
• CharlottetoWashington, D.C.(SEC:Norlina Subdivisionrealignment of the existingCarolinian)
• Charlotte toAtlanta,Georgia (SEC: Greenfield alternative)
• Charlotte toKings Mountain
• RaleightoFayetteville
• Raleigh toWilmington
• Raleigh toWinston-Salem

Each of these corridors are granted $500,000 toward engineering and feasibility studies and are prioritized for future federal funding.

Asheville–Salisbury

Western North Carolinahad been served by passenger trains following the construction of theWestern North Carolina Railroadin the 1850s. Service was inherited by the Southern Railway in 1894, and discontinued in August 1975.

In January 1997, NCDOT's Rail Division first studied the possibility of restoring service to the region. Based on projected costs, revenue, and ridership, the best option was determined to be a route betweenSalisburyandAshevillealong 139 miles (224 km) ofNorfolk Southern'sS-Line.Intermediate stations would be located inStatesville,Hickory,Morganton,Marion,Old Fort,andBlack Mountain.Passengers could transfer to thePiedmontorCarolinianatSalisbury station.In 1999, local stakeholders formed the Western North Carolina Rail Corridor Committee to promote enactment of the route.In March 2001, NCDOT published an updated study with a timetable of phases for the project, along with a cost estimate for each phase. During the first phase, Amtrak would trial the route withAmtrak Thruwayservice alongUS 70to Asheville, the region's first connection of any sort to the national rail system in the Amtrak era. The report also recommended an additional station inValdese.In April 2002, an NCDOT report proposed a schedule of two daily round trips on the route: one morning and one evening departure in each direction. The report estimated that the station, track, signal, and bridge projects required to start the route would cost $134.7 million (2002 US dollars).

In August 2015, the Comprehensive State Rail Plan continued to recommend the rail route with an interim Thruway Bus service. The plan estimated a cost of $405.3 million (2014 US dollars) and ridership of 24,000 in the first year. Noting the age of the original studies, NCDOT prescribes an updated study.In March 2021, Amtrak included the route in its "Amtrak Connects Us" 15-year expansion vision ahead of theBiden administration'spush to pass theAmerican Jobs Plan.In December 2023, an updated feasibility study was completed by NCDOT, which estimated the cost at $665 million (2023 US dollars). The study assumed three round trips per day, with conceptional travel times of 3 hours and 25 minutes to 3 hours and 48 minutes, ridership modeling of up to 100,000 annual local trips by 2045, and ridership modeling of up to 290,000 additional Western North Carolina trips from connections via theCarolinianandPiedmonttrains. In the appendix, Norfolk Southern noted that they cannot validate the various conclusion in the report, but does support the expansion of passenger rail and looks forward in those discussions.Also, that same month, theFederal Railroad Administrationselected the Asheville–Salisbury route as part of the Corridor Identification and Development Program. It was granted up to $500,000 toward engineering and feasibility studies and is prioritized for future federal funding.

Charlotte–Washington, DC

Main article:Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor § Richmond–Raleigh

The proposed corridor would provide improvements to the existing state-supported Carolinian service between Charlotte andWashington, D.C.(with existing service continuing north toNew York City), by improving/adding services in Greensboro, Winston-Salem, High Point, Raleigh, Durham, Salisbury, and Burlington, North Carolina, andPetersburg,Richmond,Fredericksburg,andAlexandria,Virginia, by addressing infrastructure capacity constraints. Improvements include constructing/rehabilitating a partially abandoned alignment (theNorlina Subdivision) between Raleigh and Petersburg, that is more direct than the existing routing throughRocky Mount,potentially shaving more than an hour off the end-to-end travel time.

Charlotte–Atlanta, Georgia

Main article:Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor § Charlotte–Atlanta

The proposed route would provide new service on a new high-speed rail alignment between Charlotte andAtlanta, Georgia,with potential intermediate stops includingGreenville–Spartanburg International Airport,andAthens, Georgia,then serving a downtown Atlanta station and terminating atHartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

Charlotte–Kings Mountain

The proposed corridor would connectKings Mountainto Charlotte. The proposed corridor would provide new service on existing alignment with capacity improvements west of theCharlotte Gateway Stationand likely extending service to Kings Mountain, in addition to track, crossover, or signal improvements.

Raleigh–Fayetteville

The proposed corridor would provide a new service connectingFayettevillewith Raleigh, with intermediate stops atLillingtonandFuquay-Varina,using an existing alignment.

Raleigh–Wilmington

In May 2001, NCDOT's Southeastern North Carolina Passenger Rail Feasibility Study showed strong interest in trains from Raleigh toWilmington.A July 2005 study recommended that two new routes be added to the State Rail Plan. Both routes would start by following theCarolinianandSilver Starcorridor from Raleigh to Selma.

• The "Goldsboro route" would continue southeast from Selma toGoldsboro,then head south to Wilmington with potential stops inMount Olive,Warsaw,Wallace,Burgaw,andCastle Hayne.This route is the most direct but would require rebuilding 27 miles (43 km) of track and six rail bridges.

• The "Fayetteville route" would follow thePalmettoandSilver Meteorcorridor southwest from Selma throughFayetteville,then at a new station inPembroke,branch southeast to Wilmington with potential stops inLumberton,Bladenboro,Acme/Riegelwood,andNavassa.

In the 2015 State Rail Plan, it continued to recommend both routes, listing the estimated cost of the Goldsboro route at $262.5 million (2014 US dollars) and its first-year ridership at 29,000, though the plan also requests new studies to update these figures.In March 2021, Amtrak included the Goldsboro route to Wilmington in its "Amtrak Connects Us" 15-year expansion vision.In December 2023, theFederal Railroad Administrationselected the Raleigh–Wilmington route, via Goldsboro, as part of the Corridor Identification and Development Program. It was granted up to $500,000 toward engineering and feasibility studies and is prioritized for future federal funding.

Raleigh–Winston-Salem

The proposed corridor would connectWinston-Salemwith Raleigh, with intermediate stops at Greensboro, Burlington, Durham, and Cary, complementing the existing state-supported Piedmont and Carolinian services. The proposed corridor would also include new frequencies, improvements to reliability, and new stations.Winston-Salem's restoredUnion Stationwould serve as the western terminus. Presently, Winston-Salem is only served by an Amtrak Thruway bus to High Point.

Other proposed routes

Charlotte–Lynchburg, Virginia

Service between Charlotte andLynchburg, Virginia,is currently provided once daily by the long-distanceCrescent.NCDOT is performing a preliminary evaluation for additional service, which may be achieved by extending aNortheast Regionalround trip to Charlotte. The cost has been estimated at $35.6 million (2014 US dollars).

Raleigh–Greenville

The proposed route between Raleigh andGreenvillewould travel along theCarolina Coastal Railwaytracks, connecting with thePalmettoandSilver ServiceatWilson station.In July 2022, planners from NCDOT andPitt Countyannounced they would hire a contractor to conduct a feasibility study of the route after receiving a $250,000 federal grant. The study is expected to take 18 months. Supporters of the study include Greenville MayorP.J. Connelly,East Carolina UniversityChancellor Philip Rogers, State RepresentativeBrian Farkas,and the head of the Pitt-Greenville Convention & Visitors Authority.In March 2023, NCDOT submitted the route to the Federal Railroad Administration's Corridor Identification and Development Program; but was not selected when the results were released in December of that same year.

Raleigh–Hampton Roads, Virginia

In August 2015, NCDOT had suggested studying a service between Raleigh andHampton Roads,Virginia's second-largest metropolitan area, home toVirginia BeachandNorfolk.The proposed route would require reconstruction of a disusedRaleigh and Gaston Railroadline betweenNorlinaandRoanoke Rapids.

Raleigh–Morehead City

The proposed route between Raleigh andMorehead City,viaSelma Union Depot,would travel along the existingNorth Carolina Railroadtrack, with intermediate stops in Goldsboro,Kinston,andNew Bern.In March 2023, NCDOT submitted the route to the Federal Railroad Administration's Corridor Identification and Development Program; but was not selected when the results were released in December of that same year.

Raleigh–Hamlet

The proposed route between Raleigh andHamlet,would complement the existingSilver Star,with intermediate stops inCary,Sanford,andSouthern Pines.March 2023, NCDOT submitted the route to the Federal Railroad Administration's Corridor Identification and Development Program; but was not selected when the results were released in December of that same year.

Raleigh–Weldon

The proposed route between Raleigh andWeldon,would complement the existing Carolinian, with intermediate stops inSelma,Wilson,andRocky Mount.March 2023, NCDOT submitted the route to the Federal Railroad Administration's Corridor Identification and Development Program; but was not selected when the results were released in December of that same year.

Winston-Salem–Charlotte

The proposed corridor would connectWinston-Salemwith Charlotte, by following the existentO-Line.Winston-Salem's restoredUnion Stationwould serve as the northern terminus. March 2023, NCDOT submitted the route to the Federal Railroad Administration's Corridor Identification and Development Program; but was not selected when the results were released in December of that same year.

External links

• NC By Train official site