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Carolinian (train)

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Carolinian
Northbound Carolinian pulling in to High Point in 2013
Overview
Service typeInter-city rail
LocaleNortheastern and Southern United States
First serviceMay 12, 1990
Current operator(s)Amtrak in partnership with NCDOT
Annual ridership347,360 (FY 24) Increase 10.0%[a][1]
Route
TerminiNew York City
Charlotte, North Carolina
Stops24
Distance travelled704 miles (1,133 km)
Average journey time
  • 13 hours, 31 minutes (northbound)
  • 13 hours, 50 minutes (southbound)[2]
Service frequencyDaily
Train number(s)79, 80
On-board services
Class(es)Coach Class
Business Class
Disabled accessAll cars, most stations
Catering facilitiesCafé car
Baggage facilitiesOverhead racks
Technical
Rolling stockAmfleet cars
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
ElectrificationOverhead line, 12 kV AC at 25 Hz (New York–Washington)
Operating speed52 mph (84 km/h) (avg.)
125 mph (201 km/h) (top)
Track owner(s)Amtrak, CSX, NS/NCRR

The Carolinian is a daily Amtrak passenger train that runs between New York City and Charlotte, North Carolina, with major stops in Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, Richmond, Raleigh, Cary, Durham, and Greensboro. The 704-mile (1,133 km) service is the longest state-supported route in the Amtrak system. Northbound trains leave Charlotte at breakfast time and arrive in New York in the early evening, while southbound trains leave New York during the morning rush and arrive in Charlotte in the evening.

The Carolinian began operation in 1990 and is jointly funded and operated by Amtrak and the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT). Additional corridor service between Charlotte and Raleigh is provided by the Piedmont. The two trains are marketed by NCDOT under the NC By Train brand.

The train operates over the Northeast Corridor between New York and Washington, D.C. The North Carolina portion of the route runs along the North Carolina Railroad, a state-owned railroad which is leased to Norfolk Southern.

History

[edit]
The Carolinian departing the old Raleigh Amtrak station in 2014; a new station was built and opened in 2018

For most of Amtrak's first two decades, service in North Carolina was limited to long-distance trains, which were not well-suited to regional travel. The Piedmont from Greensboro to Charlotte continued to be served by Southern Railway for much of the 1970s; Southern had been one of the few large railroads to opt out of Amtrak in 1971. However, Southern drastically reduced its remaining service in 1976, including its remaining medium-haul trains going through the state, before handing its remaining service to Amtrak in 1979.

First iteration

[edit]

Amtrak first introduced the Carolinian on October 28, 1984, in partnership with the state of North Carolina. It was originally a section of the Palmetto, which ran between New York and Savannah, Georgia. It ran from Charlotte to Raleigh, where it stopped at the old Seaboard Air Line Railroad station. From there, it ran to Henderson to Collier Yard south of Petersburg, Virginia. At Richmond, Virginia, the Carolinian joined the Palmetto for the journey to New York along the Northeast Corridor. The southbound train operated in the reverse direction, splitting from the Palmetto in Richmond while the Palmetto continued to Savannah. North Carolina supported the Carolinian with a $436,000 yearly subsidy from Charlotte to the Virginia line.[3][4] It was the first direct Raleigh—Charlotte service in 30 years and the first North Carolina-specific service in 20 years. An early alternative name for the service was the Piedmont Palmetto.

Amtrak intended the Carolinian to be a one-year pilot project, and was very open to making the route permanent. However, while ridership exceeded expectations, revenues did not: most passengers traveled within North Carolina and did not continue to the Northeast. Amtrak was also hampered by the proliferation of cheap airfares from Charlotte and Raleigh to the Northeast. Amid losses of $800,000, Amtrak discontinued the Carolinian on September 3, 1985, after North Carolina declined to increase its subsidy. Supporters of the Carolinian blamed Amtrak and the state for not marketing the train properly; many passengers were unaware that the train went all the way to New York.[5][6]

Second iteration

[edit]

Amtrak and North Carolina re-launched the Carolinian on May 12, 1990. Like the original, it was originally a section of the Palmetto, only this time the split occurred in Rocky Mount, North Carolina.[7] This incarnation proved successful enough that in April 1991, Amtrak made the Carolinian a full-fledged day train running from Charlotte to New York.[8] While the Palmetto runs through from Richmond to Alexandria, Virginia; the Carolinian stops at Fredericksburg and Quantico (shared with Northeast Regional trains going to Newport News or Norfolk) before continuing on to Alexandria.

In 1995, the Carolinian was joined with a sister regional train, the Piedmont, which runs along the I-85 Corridor between Raleigh and Charlotte–the southern leg of the Carolinian. The Piedmont was originally due to enter service in 1993, but was delayed when Norfolk Southern insisted that Amtrak build a new wye in Charlotte to turn the Carolinian and Piedmont around. Previously, the southbound Carolinian had to make a time-consuming 10-mile deadhead trip to the nearest wye in Pineville, North Carolina.[9][10]

In 2004, the Carolinian began bypassing BWI Rail Station.[citation needed]

On March 9, 2015, a northbound Carolinian collided with a tractor-trailer that was stuck on the tracks in Halifax County, North Carolina. The locomotive landed on its side, while all of the cars remained upright. There were no fatalities, but 55 people were injured.[11][12]

In April 2020, NCDOT and Amtrak suspended the Carolinian as part of a larger round of service reductions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.[13] The Carolinian returned on May 18 as a truncated service between Charlotte and Raleigh.[14] Full service to New York was restored on June 1, 2020.[15]

Proposed expansion

[edit]

In 2017, NCDOT and the Connecticut Department of Transportation were in talks to extend the Carolinian from New York to New Haven, with additional stops at New Rochelle, Stamford, and Bridgeport. The resultant route would be 779 miles (1,254 km) long. By increasing the length of the route to over 750 miles (1,210 km), the Carolinian would become a long-distance network route rather than state-supported, as defined by the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008. In effect, this would allow the train to be fully subsidized by the federal government and thus free North Carolina of its state funding obligations.[16][17]

Long-term plans call for restoring a portion of the former Seaboard main line between Raleigh and Richmond, known as the "S-Line," as part of construction of the Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor between Charlotte and Washington. The S-Line had been abandoned in 1985, forcing Amtrak to route its trains linking Raleigh and the Northeast through Selma along the NCRR. It is estimated that restoring the S-Line will cut an hour off the Carolinian's running time by enabling a more direct route over the Virginia border.[18]

Operation

[edit]

Equipment

[edit]

Most Carolinian trains consist of six cars hauled by a locomotive.[19]

The passenger cars are the Amfleet I series passenger cars built by the Budd Company in the mid-to-late 1970s. Most trains include a Business Class car, a Café car (food service/lounge), and four Coach Class cars. Maximum seating in such a configuration is 346, split between business class and reserved coach.[20]

Between Charlotte and Washington, trains are pulled by a GE Genesis diesel locomotive at speeds up to 110 mph (177 km/h). Between New York and Washington, the service operates over the Northeast Corridor which has overhead electric wires and trains are pulled by Siemens ACS-64 electric locomotives at speeds up to 125 mph (201 km/h)

In the coming years all equipment will be replaced with Amtrak Airo trainsets, the railroad's branding of its combination of Siemens Venture passenger cars and a Siemens Charger diesel-electric locomotive.[21] The trainsets for the Carolinian will have six passenger cars, which will include a food service area and a mix of 2x2 Coach Class and 2x1 Business Class seating. The consist will be to Amtrak's B-1 Configuration, which will also be used on The Downeaster, Keystone Service, The Palmetto, The Pennsylvanian and The Vermonter.[22] The car closest to the locomotive will be a specialized "Auxiliary Power Vehicle" which will include a pantograph to collect power from overhead lines and will feed it to four traction motors in the car, and via a DC link cable, to the four traction motors in the locomotive.[23] The car at the opposite end of the train will be a control car/coach car that can operate the train in pusher mode, preventing the need to switch engines or use a wye/loop to reverse the direction of the train.[22] The arrangement will offer a near seamless transition between power sources at Washington, a process that currently requires a time-consuming locomotive change.

Classes of service

[edit]

All classes of service include complimentary WiFi, an electric outlet (120 V, 60 Hz AC) at each seat, reading lamps, fold-out tray tables. Reservations are required on all trains, tickets may be purchased online, from an agent at some stations, a ticketing machine at most stations, or, at a higher cost, from the conductor on the train.[24]

  • Coach Class: 2x2 seating. Passengers self-select seats on a first-come, first-served basis.[25]
  • Business Class: 2x2 seating with more legroom than coach. Passengers receive complimentary soft drinks. Seats assigned in advance.[26]

Route

[edit]

The Carolinian operates over Amtrak, CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern Railway, and North Carolina Railroad trackage. Since 1871, Norfolk Southern and its predecessors have leased the NCRR from the state.

Two Amtrak Thruway bus routes connect large swaths of eastern North Carolina to the Wilson station.[27] One route serves Greenville, New Bern, Havelock, and Morehead City; another serves Goldsboro, Kinston, Jacksonville, and Wilmington. A third Thruway route connects Winston-Salem to the High Point station.

Funding

[edit]

The North Carolina Department of Transportation provides funding to operate the Carolinian from Charlotte to the Virginia border.[17] NCDOT offers free transit passes which allow detraining Carolinian passengers in North Carolina to get one free bus ride and one transfer on the same day of travel. Passes are honored by 13 participating transit systems along its route.

Ridership and revenue

[edit]

Ridership in 2013 was over 317,550 passengers.[28][29] It was then followed by a period of steadily decreasing passengers through the COVID-19 pandemic, where it saw 150,365 riders in 2020.[30] In fiscal year 2022 the Carolinian saw a 38.7% increase from 2021, surpassing 2018 and 2019 levels with 270,050 passengers.[31] The Carolinian's ridership increased by 16.9% in fiscal year 2023, to 315,781, nearly matching its previous ridership record of 317,550 in 2013.[32] In fiscal year 2024 the Carolinian saw record ridership with 347,360 passengers boarding. [33] Additionally in FY 2024, the Carolinian had operating revenue of $21.7 million [34]

Station stops

[edit]

The train has two seasonal stops in October. A station in Lexington is used during the Lexington Barbecue Festival, while an additional station in Raleigh is used for the North Carolina State Fair.

Before 2019, the northbound Carolinian followed the practice of most medium- and long-distance trains operating in the Northeast and did not allow passengers to travel only between stations on the Northeast Corridor. It only stopped to discharge passengers from Washington northward in order to keep seats available for passengers making longer trips. Starting in 2019, the northbound Carolinian began allowing local travel on the Northeast Corridor on Sundays, Thursdays and Fridays. The southbound Carolinian allows local travel in the Northeast at all times from Trenton southward.

State Town/City Station Connections
New York New York City New York
Penn Station		 Amtrak Amtrak (long-distance): Cardinal, Crescent, Lake Shore Limited, Palmetto, Silver Meteor
Amtrak Amtrak (intercity): Acela, Adirondack, Berkshire Flyer, Empire Service, Ethan Allen Express, Keystone Service, Maple Leaf, Northeast Regional, Pennsylvanian, Vermonter
LIRR: ■ City Terminal Zone, ■ Port Washington Branch
NJ Transit NJ Transit: ■ North Jersey Coast Line, ■ Northeast Corridor Line, ■ Gladstone Branch, ■ Montclair–Boonton Line, ■ Morristown Line
NYC Subway: "1" train​"2" train​"3" train"A" train​"C" train​"E" train
Port Authority Trans-Hudson PATH: HOB-33 JSQ-33 JSQ-33 (via HOB)
Bus interchange NYC Transit Bus
New Jersey Newark Newark
Penn Station		 Amtrak Amtrak: Acela, Cardinal, Crescent, Keystone Service, Northeast Regional, Pennsylvanian, Silver Meteor, Vermonter
NJ Transit NJ Transit: ■ North Jersey Coast Line, ■ Northeast Corridor Line, ■ Raritan Valley Line
Port Authority Trans-Hudson PATH: NWK-WTC
Newark Light Rail Newark Light Rail
Bus interchange NJ Transit Bus
Trenton Trenton Amtrak Amtrak: Cardinal, Crescent, Keystone Service, Northeast Regional, Pennsylvanian, Silver Meteor, Vermonter
NJ Transit NJ Transit: ■ Northeast Corridor Line, ■ River Line
SEPTA Regional Rail: ■ Trenton Line
Bus interchange NJ Transit Bus, SEPTA Suburban Bus
Pennsylvania Philadelphia 30th Street Station Amtrak Amtrak: Acela, Cardinal, Crescent, Keystone Service, Northeast Regional, Palmetto, Pennsylvanian, Silver Meteor, Vermonter
SEPTA Regional Rail: all routes
NJ Transit NJ Transit: ■ Atlantic City Line
SEPTA Metro:
Bus interchange SEPTA City Bus, SEPTA Suburban Bus
Delaware Wilmington Wilmington Amtrak Amtrak: Acela, Cardinal, Crescent, Palmetto, Northeast Regional, Silver Meteor, Vermonter
SEPTA Regional Rail: ■ Wilmington/​Newark Line
Bus interchange DART First State
Greyhound Lines Greyhound Lines
Maryland Baltimore Baltimore Amtrak Amtrak: Acela, Cardinal, Crescent, Palmetto, Northeast Regional, Silver Meteor, Vermonter
MARC: ■ Penn Line
Light RailLink
Bus interchange MTA Maryland, Charm City Circulator
District of Columbia Washington Washington
Union Station		 Amtrak Amtrak: Acela, Cardinal, Crescent, Floridian, Palmetto, Northeast Regional, Silver Meteor, Vermonter
MARC: ■ Brunswick Line, ■ Camden Line, ■ Penn Line
Virginia Railway Express VRE: ■ Manassas Line, ■ Fredericksburg Line
Washington Metro: Red Line
DC Streetcar: H Street/Benning Road Line
Bus interchange Metrobus, MTA Maryland, Loudoun County Transit, OmniRide
Bus interchange Intercity bus: Greyhound Lines Greyhound, Megabus (North America) Megabus, BoltBus, BestBus, Peter Pan, OurBus
Virginia Alexandria Alexandria Amtrak Amtrak: Cardinal, Crescent, Floridian, Northeast Regional, Silver Meteor
Virginia Railway Express VRE: ■ Fredericksburg Line, ■ Manassas Line
Metro: Blue Line, Yellow Line
Bus interchange Metrobus, DASH
Quantico Quantico Amtrak Amtrak: Northeast Regional
Virginia Railway ExpressVRE: ■ Fredericksburg Line
Bus transport PRTC
Fredericksburg Fredericksburg AmtrakAmtrak: Northeast Regional, Silver Meteor
Virginia Railway Express VRE: ■ Fredericksburg Line
Bus transport FRED
Richmond Richmond Staples Mill Road Amtrak Amtrak: Floridian, Northeast Regional, Palmetto, Silver Meteor, Amtrak Thruway to Charlottesville
Bus transport GRTC
Ettrick Petersburg Amtrak: Floridian, Northeast Regional, Palmetto, Silver Meteor
North Carolina Rocky Mount Rocky Mount Amtrak Amtrak: Floridian, Palmetto, Silver Meteor
Bus transport Tar River Transit
Bus interchange Intercity bus: Greyhound Lines Greyhound
Wilson Wilson Amtrak Amtrak: Palmetto, Amtrak Thruway to Greenville, New Bern, Havelock, Morehead City, Goldsboro, Kinston, Jacksonville, and Wilmington, North Carolina
Selma Selma-Smithfield Amtrak Amtrak: Palmetto
Raleigh Raleigh Amtrak Amtrak: Floridian, Piedmont
Bus transport GoRaleigh, GoTriangle
North Carolina State Fair Only served during North Carolina State Fair[35][36]
Amtrak Amtrak: Piedmont
Cary Cary Amtrak Amtrak: Floridian, Piedmont
Bus transport GoCary, GoTriangle
Durham Durham Amtrak Amtrak: Piedmont
Bus transport GoDurham, GoTriangle
Bus interchange Intercity bus: Greyhound Lines Greyhound Buses, Megabus (North America) Megabus
Burlington Burlington Amtrak Amtrak: Piedmont
Bus transport Elon BioBus, Alamance County Transportation Authority, Burlington Link Transit
Greensboro Greensboro Amtrak Amtrak: Crescent, Piedmont
Bus transport GTA, PART
Bus interchange Intercity bus: Greyhound Lines Greyhound
High Point High Point Amtrak Amtrak: Crescent, Piedmont, Amtrak Thruway.[i]
Bus transport Hi tran, PART[i]
Lexington Lexington Only served during Lexington Barbecue Festival;[35][37] full-time station planned.
Amtrak Amtrak: Piedmont
Salisbury Salisbury Amtrak Amtrak: Crescent, Piedmont
Bus transport Salisbury Transit
Kannapolis Kannapolis Amtrak Amtrak: Piedmont
Bus transport CK Rider
Charlotte Charlotte Amtrak Amtrak: Crescent, Piedmont
Bus transport CATS
  1. ^ a b Amtrak contracts with PART to provide Thruway service to Winston-Salem. Passage is available via through-ticketing or as a separate fare. Both methods are co-branded as NC Amtrak Connector.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Amtrak Fiscal Year 2024 Ridership" (PDF). Amtrak. December 3, 2024.
  2. ^ "Amtrak Timetable Results". www.amtrak.com. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
  3. ^ Foreman, Tom Jr. (October 27, 1984). "'Carolinian' makes trial run". Times-News. Retrieved July 4, 2011.
  4. ^ "Raleigh-Charlotte run shouldn't businessmen". The Robesonian. October 9, 1984. Retrieved July 4, 2011.
  5. ^ Waggoner, Martha (September 3, 1985). "The 'Carolinian' Makes Its Last Run". The Dispatch. Retrieved April 4, 2010.
  6. ^ Flesher, John (August 13, 1985). "Amtrak talks about scrapping Charlotte-to-Raleigh service". Times-News. Retrieved April 4, 2010.[permanent dead link‍]
  7. ^ "Charlotte-Rocky Mount train back on track". Morning Star. May 12, 1990. Retrieved April 4, 2010.
  8. ^ "Change to cut Carolinian's run by 40 minutes". The Charlotte Observer. March 15, 1991. Retrieved April 4, 2010.
  9. ^ "More delays put second Tar Heel passenger train service off track". Times-News. March 11, 1993. Retrieved April 4, 2010.
  10. ^ "New train won't start on schedule". Morning Star. November 28, 1994. Retrieved April 4, 2010.
  11. ^ Cho, Diane (March 9, 2015). "Amtrak train en route to D.C. slams into truck in North Carolina; 40 hurt". WJLA-TV ABC7. Sinclair Broadcast Group. Associated Press. Archived from the original on July 9, 2015. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
  12. ^ "Dozens of Amtrak passengers injured as train smashes into truck that had stalled on North Carolina tracks and flips over". Daily Mail. Associated Press. March 9, 2015. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
  13. ^ "Service Adjustments Due to Coronavirus" (Press release). North Carolina Department of Transportation. April 3, 2020. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
  14. ^ "Palmetto, Carolinian and Silver Star Schedule Changes" (Press release). Amtrak. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
  15. ^ @NC_By_Train (May 29, 2020). "Greetings, passengers. Starting Monday, June 1, Carolinian trains 79 and 80 will resume service between Charlotte and New York" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  16. ^ "Carolinian's New Start" (PDF). All Aboard in the Carolinas. Carolinas Association of Passenger Trains. March–April 2017. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  17. ^ a b Worley, Paul (March 22, 2017). "Rail Division" (PDF). ncleg.gov. North Carolina Department of Transportation. p. 9. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 10, 2019. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
  18. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 11, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  19. ^ "Amtrak – Carolinian". TrainWeb. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  20. ^ "National Railroad Passenger Corporation and the State of North Carolina: Agreement for the Provision of Carolinian and Piedmont Rail Passenger Services" (PDF). October 1, 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 14, 2011. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
  21. ^ "Introducing Our New Trains: Amtrak Airo". Amtrak. December 15, 2022. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  22. ^ a b "Amtrak FY 2022–2027 Asset Line Plan" (PDF). Amtrak. p. 132. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
  23. ^ Worrell, Carolina (December 19, 2022). "First Look: Amtrak Airo". Railway Age. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  24. ^ "Travel Guide to Train Fares". Amtrak. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  25. ^ "Reserved Coach Class Seat". Amtrak. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  26. ^ "Seat Selection". Amtrak. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
  27. ^ Fitzgerald, Eddie (October 2, 2012). "Amtrak shuttle service debuts in the East". New Bern Sun Journal. Retrieved November 27, 2012.
  28. ^ "Amtrak Sets Ridership Record And Moves The Nation's Economy Forward - America's Railroad helps communities grow and prosper" (PDF) (Press release). Amtrak. October 14, 2013. Retrieved September 3, 2014.
  29. ^ "Amtrak fact sheet: Carolinian service" (PDF). Rail Passengers Association. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
  30. ^ "Amtrak General and Legislative Annual Report & FY2020 Grant Request" (PDF). Amtrak. March 19, 2019. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
  31. ^ Garnett, Amber (December 6, 2021). "FY22 Ridership". Amtrak Media. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  32. ^ "Amtrak FY23 Ridership" (PDF). Amtrak Media. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  33. ^ "Amtrak FY24 Ridership" (PDF). Amtrak Media. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
  34. ^ "Amtrak FY 24 Performance" (PDF). Amtrak Media. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
  35. ^ a b "NCDOT Announces Special Train Stops for Fall Events". North Carolina Department of Transportation. September 5, 2023. Archived from the original on September 11, 2023. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
  36. ^ "Get to the Fair". North Carolina State Fair. Archived from the original on September 12, 2023. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
  37. ^ "NC BY TRAIN- SPECIAL BARBECUE FESTIVAL STOP". The Barbecue Festival. 2023. Archived from the original on September 12, 2023. Retrieved September 11, 2023.

Notes

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  1. ^ Amtrak's Fiscal Year (FY) runs from October 1 of the prior year to September 30 of the named year.
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