(The following appeared on the Progressive Railroading website on June 5.)
The state of North Carolina recently announced it will add a third daily intercity passenger train between Raleigh and Charlotte to meet growing demand.
From October 2007 to April 2008, ridership on Amtrak’s Piedmont and Carolinian trains — both of which are state-sponsored — was up 22 percent. The trains both make morning and evening trips between Raleigh and Charlotte in just over three hours.
The new mid-day train will cost $3 million annually to operate and be funded through the federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality program.