A train to Charlotte in under 3 hours? The future is now.
- July 14, 2023
- Posted by: Joe Milazzo II
- Category: Blog
RTA members and partners,
Earlier this week, NCDOT and Amtrak launched a new train frequency in each direction between Raleigh, Cary, Durham, and points west and south including Charlotte. This will create new options for travelers across North Carolina’s Piedmont metropolitan crescent. It will also result in a schedule of six trains per direction each day between Cary and Raleigh (five per day between Durham and Raleigh).
NCDOT made concomitant schedule adjustments to our current passenger rail service schedules and stops to optimize travel options across the entire day. Some trains between Raleigh and Charlotte now take less than 3 hours in total rail travel time.
All trains will continue to stop in Raleigh, Cary, Durham, Greensboro, and Charlotte, which comprise the five communities with over 150,000 population along the route, and 5 of the 7 most populous communities in North Carolina. All trains have one or more additional stops; see this page to confirm which trains stop at which stations.
RTA has created an updated train schedule for the stops within the Triangle. Click on this link: www.letsgetmoving.org/TrainSchedule to learn more about our growing metropolitan passenger rail service in our market.
Enhanced passenger rail allows the state to leverage an asset that is owned by the citizens of North Carolina through the shares of the private North Carolina Railroad Company.
The NC By Train service — along the NC Railroad corridor — is perfectly situated for commerce.
Time is money, and saved time helps our relationships, our connections, and getting business done. Thank you to NCDOT and Amtrak for providing an enhanced travel option.
Joe Milazzo II, PE
RTA executive director
