(The following story appeared on the Winston-Salem Journal website on June 4.)
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — State officials plan to add a third intercity passenger train between Raleigh and Charlotte to help meet growing demand as well as ridership increases. The new train service will run at midday, with departures from Raleigh and Charlotte.
“Ridership is increasing significantly along this route and adding a midday train run will meet the growing demand and provide needed services to North Carolina travelers who are looking for economical alternatives to driving,” Gov. Mike Easley said in announcing the new train today. “As fuel prices continue to climb, more and more people are turning to rail as their choice for transportation.”
The additional route will cost about $3 million a year to run. The money to pay for it will come from the federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality program.
Officials with the N.C. Department of Transportation estimate that it will take between six and 12 months to make the third run operational. Rail cars and locomotives will need to be refurbished for the service.
The state DOT currently sponsors both the Piedmont and Carolinian trains as part of North Carolina’s Amtrak service. Fares for the round trip between Raleigh and Charlotte start at about $50.
From October 2007 to April 2008, ridership was up more than 22 percent, with 197,126 travelers riding either the Piedmont or Carolinian trains. On the Piedmont (trains 73 and 74) ridership was up almost 26 percent, from 28,309 to 35,681 passengers; the Carolinian (trains 79 and 80) was up 18 percent from 136,358 to 161,445.
Complete schedules for the Piedmont and Carolinian trains are available online at www.bytrain.org. Reservations are required. Travelers should book early for best fares. Tickets can be purchased at www.Amtrak.com or by calling 800-USA-RAIL.