Cary station (North Carolina)
Cary, NC | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| General information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | 211 North Academy Street Cary, North Carolina United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 35°47′19″N 78°46′53″W / 35.788611°N 78.781328°W | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Owned by | Town of Cary | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Line(s) | NCRR Corridor Aberdeen Subdivision | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Platforms | 2 side platforms | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Tracks | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Connections |
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| Construction | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Structure type | At-grade | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Parking | 123 spaces | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Accessible | Yes | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Station code | Amtrak: CYN | |||||||||||||||||||||
| History | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | 1996 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Rebuilt | 2005, 2011 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Passengers | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| FY 2023 | 96,312[1] (Amtrak) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Services | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Cary station is an active train station located in Cary, North Carolina. It is served by three Amtrak trains: the Silver Star, Carolinian, and Piedmont services.[2] Service from the Cary station is to Charlotte, Miami, New York, and points in between.[3]
History
[edit]The railroad came to Cary in 1854 with the arrival of the North Carolina Railroad.[4] This is the northernmost track in Cary today, and it was originally built mostly by enslaved people.[4] A second line for the Chatham Railroad was completed in 1868, creating a railroad crossing in Cary.[4] Regular passenger service to Cary started in 1867.[4] The Chatham Railroad constructed a passenger waiting room and warehouse in Cary by 1871.[4] By the early 20th century, Cary residents used both railroads for daily trips to Raleigh for shopping.[4] However, during the Great Depression, rail service was discontinued.[4]
Cary's historic station was demolished in about 1976.[5] It had served the Southern Railway and the Seaboard Air Line. When Amtrak passenger service to Cary resumed in 1995, there was no longer a depot.[5] This initial Amtrak service was an infill station on the Piedmont, a state-owned regional railroad operated by Amtrak and mostly financed by the North Carolina Department of Transportation.[5]
Current station
[edit]In 1996, the North Carolina Department of Transportation Rail Division erected a platform and shelter for the H Line, north of the station, at the cost of $100,000.[6][5] This was just prior to the opening of the new Cary Station which cost $737,000—$637,000 from the town and $100,000 from the Triangle Transit Authority.[6][5] The state-subsidized Carolinian, began serving the station in 1997, in addition to the Piedmont.[5]
In 2006, the North Carolina Department of Transportation constructed a platform on the S Line, south of the station, which allowed the Silver Star (New York-Tampa-Miami) to begin service to Cary.[5] The town contributed $30,000 or 10% of the project's cost.[5]
The station was expanded at the cost of $2 million in NCDOT and Federal Railroad Administration funds in 2010 and 2011.[5] The station reopened on September 1, 2011, and featured a larger waiting room, restrooms, and a staffed ticket sales window with checked baggage service.[2][5]
In June 2024, the station was a stop along the U.S. Open Express, which operated during the U.S. Open at course number 2 of Pinehurst Resort.[7]
The Cary station has about 130 free parking spaces. It also serves as the hub for GoCary, the bus system for the town. All numbered routes use the station as a terminus.[8] The station also connects to downtown Raleigh and other points in the Triangle via the GoTriangle bus network.[9][10] The station is designated as a park & ride location for the GoTriangle network.[11]
Awards
[edit]In Amtrak's 2017 customer satisfaction survey, the Cary Station ranked #1 in "overall experience," beating more than 450 stations for the honor.[2] Amtrak customers reviewed stations based on cleanliness, ease of boarding, safety, signage, and staff friendliness.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2023: State of North Carolina" (PDF). Amtrak. March 2024. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
- ^ a b c d Stradling, Richard (November 9, 2017). "Top-Rated Amtrak Station in Downtown Cary". The Herald-Sun (Durham, NC). pp. A4. Retrieved March 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Cary Train Schedule | North Carolina Amtrak Service". NC By Train. North Carolina Department of Transportation. Retrieved 2022-03-03.
- ^ a b c d e f g "150 Years: Tales of Cary's Railroad Stop – CaryCitizen". carycitizen.news. Retrieved 2022-03-02.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Kairis., Ashley (April 8, 2021). "Cary, NC (CYN) – Great American Stations". Retrieved 2022-03-02.
- ^ a b Cary Station (NCDOT Rail)
- ^ Stradling, Richard (June 13, 2024). "'Just much easier.' Hundreds ride special trains to the US Open in Pinehurst". News & Observer. Raleigh, NC. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
- ^ "Maps & Schedules - GoCary". gocary.org. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
- ^ "300 RTC-Cary-Raleigh - GoTriangle". gotriangle.org. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
- ^ "310 RTC-Wake Tech RTP - GoTriangle". gotriangle.org. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
- ^ "Park-and-Ride - GoTriangle". gotriangle.org. Retrieved 31 July 2024.