RALEIGH, N.C. — If you are looking to see all of North Carolina, traveling by train is one way to do it.
What You Need To Know
- Amtrak expands their times for service between Raleigh and Charlotte
- Rides grow from 8 to 10 daily
- There will be a 1 p.m. from Raleigh and 5:30 p.m. from Charlotte
Amtrak is expanding its service from Raleigh to Charlotte and vice versa by adding more times. Instead of only eight departures to choose from, passengers will now be able to pick from 10 daily trips between the two cities.
There is a new 1 p.m. ride scheduled from the capital city, and a new 5:30 p.m. departing train from the state’s biggest city.
Lance Littmann had the right idea to trade rush hour traffic for a train ticket out of Raleigh Union Station.
“[There] is little frustration with the train. It’s very nice,” Littman said.
The Raleigh native has rolled down the tracks to Charlotte once before. Littman said he rode the train from home to UNC Charlotte in college.
“Jeez, I was probably 18. I didn’t have a car at the time, so I would travel back and forth to see my family,” Littman said.
Hopping aboard the Piedmont Train, the east-west connector rail in the state felt like traveling back in time for the 28-year-old. He said especially because he doesn’t have to get where he is going by sitting behind the wheel of a car.
“I can sit back and do whatever I want to for the next three hours," Littman said.
The lifelong North Carolinian rode on the 1 p.m. Piedmont 75 train, one of the two new afternoon departure times, including this trip from Union Station heading to North Carolina's largest metro area.
“Yeah, it’s the first time I’ve done it. It’s nice,” he said.
Amtrak and NCByTrain, N.C. Department of Transportation's Piedmont and Carolinian trains, increased opportunities to ride more often because of the increased demand. Intercity ridership by train reached the highest mark in the 32-year history of rail service in 2022.
Littmann, the civil engineer and soon-to-be vacationer, said he plans on doing this again.
“Pretty likely. This is perfect,” he said.
An Amtrak employee estimated service between the two cities takes roughly a little more than three hours, which can be weighed against the drive between the Oak City and Queen City.