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I'm considering several NC cities for my relocation next year. Most of them have Amtrak service (Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Raleigh/Durham area). Does anyone know if this is likely to continue in the future? Obviously, this country needs to invest in this type of transportation, but that doesn't mean it will happen. Is there enough usage to make sure that this service will still be available in all of these cities for the foreseeable future?
just a FYI the winston is a shuttle to the Greensboro location.
Amtrak is not going anywhere it actually will be converted to high speed rail in future in the state.
NCDOT Gets $905,000 Grant for Railroad Crossing Safety Studies in Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor
These lines are not going anywhere in fact they replacing the tracks for high speed rail.
North Carolina is a great gateway tio Washington, New York, Atlanta, Savannah and Florida. The train isnt going no where plus North Carolina owns the Piedmont line.
Thanks SunnyKayak! I just had a worry that I'd get there, plan to take a vacation via rail and find that it was closing down! We lost our train service here in Knoxville in the 70s.
First, I'd like to point out that Winston-Salem isn't directly served by Amtrak, but has a connector shuttle with the station in High Point.
North Carolina has put a lot of investment into passenger rail. Two Amtrak trains, the Carolinian and Piedmont, are partially financed and operated by the State of North Carolina.
Many stations have undergone vast improvements over the past few years, such as High Point:
Various track improvements have been completed and are on-going along the Charlotte-Raleigh corridor to increase safety, speeds, efficiency, reliability, and capacity.
Quote:
Through track and signal improvements, the NCDOT has reduced the travel time between Raleigh and Charlotte by more than 35 minutes since the work began in 2001.
The eventual goal of North Carolina and Virginia is for the completion of a High Speed Rail corridor from Charlotte to Washington, D.C. with maximum speeds of 110 mph and averaging 85-90 mph. Along with this would come more frequent service.
The Piedmont even has its own North Carolina paint scheme and the coaches have recently undergone refurbishment.
There are also plans to add service to Wilmington (still ongoing) and Asheville (on indefinite hold ). The western spur would run from the main line in Salisbury and serve I-40 corridor towns from Statesville to Asheville. The route of the Eastern spur has not been determined.
Wouldn't it be great if Amtrak would set up a service from Western NC, through to the coastal areas...Boy!... Would that save people a lot of driving...
I often use Amtrak when I travel to the NYC area for business...Usually, I park at High Point, and take the train back and forth...It is really convenient...And, the Parking Authority of High Point, really accomodates you...with the lot right across the street from the station...
It beats the nightmares at the airports (Though Greensboro is a nice airport, the ones in NYC are often a pain). Also, these days you can not rely on the airline schedules...
So, I afford a few extra hours to the train...And, when you think of getting to the airports in a place like NYC, the time to check in, the flight delays, etc. etc...It really ends up being not that bad...Even though it may take 12 hours or so by train...It is a relaxed, comfortable 12 hours, leaving you off right in the center on NYC... And, it is relaxed and comfortable much because the people that work on the trains are always so easy going and polite...
And, you get to walk around the train and socialize....
Anyway,...I just wish there was a nice service running from Western NC through to the beaches..At least on the weekends...Perhaps along the freight tracks that run parrallel to I 40...
I bet those trains would be packed with people....
There are also plans to add service to Wilmington (still ongoing) and Asheville (on indefinite hold ). The western spur would run from the main line in Salisbury and serve I-40 corridor towns from Statesville to Asheville. The route of the Eastern spur has not been determined.
Is there a stated reason why Asheville is on hold? I'm sure money concerns must come into it. Whenever train service for Knoxville is brought up, that's what scuttles it. I love Asheville, and I'd be even more enthusiastic about it, if train service were thrown in, too!
It does have to do with money. A couple of brand new stations will have to be built (land acquired, too), including Asheville, and several others will need major refurbishment since passenger service hasn't existed since 1976. Another capital improvement would be the need to add extra tracks in a few places to allow trains to pass, and to complete upgrades to allow for the speeds of passenger trains.
I'm still hopeful since there have already been renovations and improvements to the stations in Morganton, Marion and Old Fort. With the way oil is going, everyone will be wanting to take the train.
There is still a lot of infrastructure work to be done and financial investment required to make passenger rail to WNC a reality, and I'm not sure if Norfolk Southern wants to add any more traffic to their already congested line from Salisbury to Asheville. There are few improvements they can do to parts of the line, such as the ascent into the Blue Ridge Mountains along the Old Fort loops.
I don't believe there is any doubt, though, that the service would be incredibly popular.
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more to come?
). The western spur would run from the main line in Salisbury and serve I-40 corridor towns from Statesville to Asheville. The route of the Eastern spur has not been determined.
