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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 ridership315,781 (FY23) Increase 16.9%[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 peaked in 2013, when the Carolinian carried 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]

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
NY New York City New York Penn Station Amtrak: Acela, Adirondack, Berkshire Flyer, Cardinal, Crescent, Empire Service, Ethan Allen Express, Keystone Service, Lake Shore Limited, Maple Leaf, Northeast Regional, Palmetto, Pennsylvanian, Silver Meteor, Vermonter
LIRR: Main Line, Port Washington Branch
NJ Transit: North Jersey Coast Line, Northeast Corridor Line, Gladstone Branch, Montclair-Boonton Line, Morristown Line
NYC Subway: 1, ​2, ​3, A, ​C, ​E, B, ​D, ​F, <F>, ​M​, N, ​Q, ​R, and ​W trains
NYC Transit buses: M7, M20, M34 / M34A Select Bus Service, Q32
PATH: Hoboken–33rd Street, Journal Square–33rd Street, Journal Square–33rd Street (via Hoboken)
NJ Newark Newark Penn Station Amtrak: Acela, Cardinal, Crescent, Keystone Service, Northeast Regional, Palmetto, Pennsylvanian, Silver Meteor, Vermonter
NJ Transit: Newark City Subway, Newark Light Rail, North Jersey Coast Line, Northeast Corridor Line, Raritan Valley Line, 1, 5, 11*, 21, 25, 28*, 29*, 30*, 34, 39, 40, 41* 62, 67, 70, 71, 72, 73, 76, 78*, 79*, 108, 308*, 319, 361*, 375*, 378*, go25* *Limited service
PATH: Newark–World Trade Center
Coach USA: 31, 44
Trenton Trenton Amtrak: Cardinal, Crescent, Keystone Service, Northeast Regional, Palmetto, Pennsylvanian, Silver Meteor, Vermonter
NJ Transit: Northeast Corridor Line, River Line, 409, 418, 600, 601, 604, 606, 608, 609, 611, 619
SEPTA Regional Rail: Trenton Line
SEPTA Suburban Transit Division: 127
PA Philadelphia 30th Street Station Amtrak: Acela, Cardinal, Crescent, Keystone Service, Northeast Regional, Palmetto, Pennsylvanian, Silver Meteor, Vermonter
NJ Transit: Atlantic City Line
SEPTA City Transit Division: Market–Frankford Line, SEPTA Subway–Surface Trolley Lines (Route 10, Route 11, Route 13, Route 34, Route 36), 9, 12, 21, 30, 31, 42, 44, 49, 62, LUCY
SEPTA Suburban Transit Division: 124, 125
SEPTA Regional Rail: Airport Line, Warminster Line, Wilmington/Newark Line, West Trenton Line, Media/Wawa Line, Lansdale/Doylestown Line, Paoli/Thorndale Line, Manayunk/Norristown Line, Cynwyd Line, Trenton Line, Chestnut Hill East Line, Chestnut Hill West Line, Fox Chase Line
DE Wilmington Wilmington Amtrak: Acela, Cardinal, Crescent, Northeast Regional, Palmetto, Silver Meteor, Vermonter
Greyhound Lines
DART First State: 2, 5, 6, 10, 11, 13, 14, 18, 20, 28, 31, 33, 35, 37, 40, 47, 52, 301, 305 (seasonal)
SEPTA Regional Rail: Wilmington/Newark Line
MD Baltimore Baltimore Penn Station Amtrak: Acela, Cardinal, Crescent, Northeast Regional, Palmetto, Silver Meteor, Vermonter
MARC Train: Penn Line
MTA Maryland: Light RailLink, 3, 11, 61, 64
Charm City Circulator: Purple Route, Artscape Shuttle
DC Washington Washington Union Station Amtrak: Acela, Cardinal, Crescent, Floridian, Northeast Regional, Palmetto, Silver Meteor, Vermonter, Amtrak Thruway to Charlottesville, Virginia
MARC Train: Brunswick Line, Camden Line, Penn Line
VRE: Manassas Line, Fredericksburg Line
Metro: Red Line
Metrobus: D3, D6, D8, X1, X2, X8, X9, 80, 96, 97
DC Circulator: Georgetown, Navy Yard
DC Streetcar: H Street/Benning Road Line
MTA Maryland: 903, 922
Loudoun County Transit: Loudoun County
PRTC: Dale City
VA Alexandria Alexandria Amtrak: Cardinal, Crescent, Floridian, Northeast Regional, Palmetto, Silver Meteor
VRE: Fredericksburg Line, Manassas Line
Metro: Blue Line, Yellow Line
Metrobus: REX, 28A, 29K, 29N
DASH: AT2, AT5, AT6, AT7, AT8, AT10
Quantico Quantico Amtrak: Northeast Regional
VRE: Fredericksburg Line
PRTC: OmniLink, 1
Fredericksburg Fredericksburg Amtrak: Northeast Regional, Silver Meteor
VRE: Fredericksburg Line
FRED D1, F2, F4, VF1, VS1
Richmond Richmond Staples Mill Road Amtrak: Floridian, Northeast Regional, Palmetto, Silver Meteor, Amtrak Thruway to Charlottesville, Virginia
GRTC: Route 18
Ettrick Petersburg Amtrak: Floridian, Northeast Regional, Palmetto, Silver Meteor
NC Rocky Mount Rocky Mount Amtrak: Floridian, Palmetto, Silver Meteor
Greyhound Lines
Tar River Transit: all routes
Wilson Wilson Amtrak: Palmetto, Amtrak Thruway to Greenville, New Bern, Havelock, Morehead City, Goldsboro, Kinston, Jacksonville, and Wilmington, North Carolina
Selma Selma-Smithfield Amtrak: Palmetto
Raleigh Raleigh Amtrak: Floridian, Piedmont
GoRaleigh: R-Line, inbound 13,
 outbounds 7, 11
GoTriangle: outbounds 301, 303, 305
North Carolina State Fair Only served during North Carolina State Fair[33][34]
Amtrak: Piedmont
Cary Cary Amtrak: Floridian, Piedmont
GoCary: 3, 4, 5, 6
GoTriangle: 300, 301
Durham Durham Amtrak: Piedmont
GoDurham: all routes except 14, 20, 23
GoTriangle: 400, 405, 700, DRX, ODX
Greyhound Buses
Megabus
Burlington Burlington Amtrak: Piedmont
Elon BioBus: Downtown/East Burlington Loop
Alamance County Transportation Authority: on demand


Burlington Link Transit

Greensboro Greensboro Amtrak: Crescent, Piedmont
GTA: all routes except 12A
PART: 2, 4, 9, 10
Greyhound Buses
High Point High Point Amtrak: Crescent, Piedmont, Amtrak Thruway.[i]
Hi tran: all routes
PART: 3, 5[i]
Lexington Lexington Only served during Lexington Barbecue Festival;[33][35] full-time station planned.
Amtrak: Piedmont
Salisbury Salisbury Amtrak: Crescent, Piedmont
Salisbury Transit: all routes
Kannapolis Kannapolis Amtrak: Piedmont
CK Rider: Blue, Brown
Charlotte Charlotte Amtrak: Crescent, Piedmont
CATS: 11
  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 2023 Ridership" (PDF). Amtrak. November 27, 2023. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  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. ^ 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.
  34. ^ "Get to the Fair". North Carolina State Fair. Archived from the original on September 12, 2023. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
  35. ^ "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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