Amtrak and NC By Train Increasing Daily Service for Travel between Charlotte and Raleigh

More flexibility and convenience for customers

WASHINGTON – Customers can soon take advantage of additional opportunities to travel on the Piedmont as Amtrak and NC By Train add a daily roundtrip for service between the vibrant commercial center of Charlotte and state capital of 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 at the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT). “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 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.

Customers will continue to take advantage of existing amenities such as the Piedmont Lounge car, which offers onboard snack and drink vending machines. North Carolina Volunteer Train Hosts assist customers and provide information about rail passenger service and points of interest within North Carolina.

The Piedmont and Carolinian, which travels daily from New York to Charlotte, offer large spacious seats with ample legroom and no middle seat. Customers can stay connected throughout the entire journey (no “airplane mode”) with Wi-Fi included in the price of a ticket and outlets at every seat. Amtrak offers one-of-a-kind journeys with the chance to relax, move about freely, work or play and connects customers to more than 500 destinations.

The Piedmont and Carolinian trains are sponsored by NCDOT and operated by Amtrak. The service is paid for through state funding and passenger fares.

Complete schedule information is available at ncbytrain.org. To purchase tickets, visit ncbytrain.org or call 800-BY-TRAIN. Additional information can be found at Amtrak.com or by calling 800-USA-RAIL.