NORTH CAROLINA (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Train riders will soon have more opportunities to travel between North Carolina’s two biggest cities.
Amtrak and NC By Train are adding a daily roundtrip on the Piedmont line between Charlotte and Raleigh. Tickets are now available to purchase for travel beginning on July 10.
To meet the increasing demand for passenger rail service and provide additional capacity, customers will have 10 daily options to choose from. The Piedmont stops in Cary, Durham, Burlington, Greensboro, High Point, Salisbury and Kannapolis.
“We’re excited to offer these new services for NC By Train customers,” said Jason Orthner, the Rail Division director with the N.C. Department of Transportation. “The trend of increased ridership over the last year has shown the need for new service options.”
The number of daily departures between the two cities will increase from eight to 10.
The new service will provide passengers with:
- Ten trips daily between Raleigh and Charlotte
- A new 1 p.m. mid-day departure from Raleigh
- A new 5:30 p.m. departure from Charlotte
- Earlier afternoon departure at 2:20 p.m. from Charlotte
- Later evening departure at 7:45 p.m. from Charlotte
Scheduled trip times of just under three hours for the 6:30 a.m. departure from Raleigh and the 5:30 p.m. departure from Charlotte. The local Amtrak station is at 1914 N Tryon St., a mile north of uptown.
The increase in service is driven by demand. In 2022, North Carolina’s intercity passenger rail service had the highest ridership in its 32-year history. In April, after having its best first quarter ever, NC By Train boasted its second highest ridership month with more than 53,300 passengers.
