More people are choosing trains to travel

CHARLOTTE — More people than ever are choosing trains as their mode of transportation this year.

“It’s the best option for me because it’s cheaper and it’s more peaceful,” said passenger Eunice Mavatiku.

It’s not just for the busy travel seasons.

North Carolina has been setting ridership records on its Amtrak routes this year, especially the Piedmont which runs between Raleigh and Charlotte.

“The record ridership we’re seeing in North Carolina reflects the strong positive numbers that we’re seeing throughout the country, as well as in North Carolina,” said Kimberly Woods, the Amtrak southeast regional spokeswoman.

Each of the first six months of 2024 was a record month for ridership, according to Woods and NC by Train, which is the Rail Division of the North Carolina Department of Transportation.

Those numbers typically peak in the last three months of the year.

“Fall is a busy time with lots of activities happening, and then it heads into the holiday travel season,” Woods said.

That is because it’s the first year there were five daily trains from Raleigh to Charlotte.

“It allows us to think about the frequency: How do we meet the increasing demand for rail? Let’s add more frequent service for people,” Woods said.

NCDOT officials are also thinking of more routes. They are researching the feasibility of expanding rail to Wilmington and Asheville even though Hurricane Helene caused significant damage to the planned route out west.

Riders said they look forward to more options so they can sit back relax and stay out of traffic.

“I don’t have to drive two hours,” passenger Eunice Mavatiku said. “They always have traffic between Greensboro and Charlotte, so I hated that.

Every trip from Charlotte to Raleigh by train vs. car saves about five to seven gallons of gas.

That means North Carolinians avoided about 29,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions with an average of 54,000 passengers a month this year.

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