Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Not to be a downer, but got a real bad report from daughter who just rode from NYC to Raleigh. People were low rent and obnoxious, very frenetic, terrible experience. She has done this several times, but this trip was it, apparently. Too bad.
Not to be a downer, but got a real bad report from daughter who just rode from NYC to Raleigh. People were low rent and obnoxious, very frenetic, terrible experience. She has done this several times, but this trip was it, apparently. Too bad.
Very true you're not going to get a seat next to one of those high class folks like you find in the coach seats on a plane.
They actually let old retired people and OMG dark skinned people on the train. Beware folks you may have to sit next to one of them.
Keep in mind there are really two different train lines here.
The Piedmont & Carolinian - These trains are owned & funded by the NCDOT (NC taxpayers) and they were established to provide train service within NC where Amtrak is fairly derelict about providing service. The NCDOT owns these trains but Amtrak has been contracted to run them and to integrate them within their schedules.
The Piedmont only provides service within NC between Raleigh & Charlotte. The Carolinian provides the mirror service between Charlotte & Raleigh. The Carolinian continues on however in its daily journey and continues on to NYC with several stops in major cities. Within NC, both trains make stops at a number of smaller towns where Amtrak will not stop. Cary, Kannapolis, Thomasville, are a few examples.
Amtrak - Are all Thru trains from mainline Amtrak service. Crescent, Palmetto, Silver Meteor & silver Star.
The NCDOT has it's own website with more information and future plans. See bytrain.org NC is one of the very few states to operate its own trains. Interesting, I believe that it also makes a small profit. The state has been spending considerable money to upgrade the tracks between Charlotte & Raleigh with the plan to cut the travel time to something like 2.5 hours.
Not to be a downer, but got a real bad report from daughter who just rode from NYC to Raleigh. People were low rent and obnoxious, very frenetic, terrible experience. She has done this several times, but this trip was it, apparently. Too bad.
Hmm...sounds about like every single domestic flight I've ever had. I'll take the trip without being groped/gawked at by the TSA, where I can still purchase a hot meal (that's an actual meal), and where I have room to stretch my legs.
Quote:
Originally Posted by WaldoKitty
Keep in mind there are really two different train lines here.
The Piedmont & Carolinian - These trains are owned & funded by the NCDOT (NC taxpayers) and they were established to provide train service within NC where Amtrak is fairly derelict about providing service. The NCDOT owns these trains but Amtrak has been contracted to run them and to integrate them within their schedules.
The Piedmont only provides service within NC between Raleigh & Charlotte. The Carolinian provides the mirror service between Charlotte & Raleigh. The Carolinian continues on however in its daily journey and continues on to NYC with several stops in major cities. Within NC, both trains make stops at a number of smaller towns where Amtrak will not stop. Cary, Kannapolis, Thomasville, are a few examples.
Amtrak - Are all Thru trains from mainline Amtrak service. Crescent, Palmetto, Silver Meteor & silver Star.
The NCDOT has it's own website with more information and future plans. See bytrain.org NC is one of the very few states to operate its own trains. Interesting, I believe that it also makes a small profit. The state has been spending considerable money to upgrade the tracks between Charlotte & Raleigh with the plan to cut the travel time to something like 2.5 hours.
Actually, Cary is a "mainline" Amtrak stop, too. The Silver Star stops there before/after Raleigh.
A Limited-stop Train within NC would be my best suggestion. Have a roundtrip train that stops only in Raleigh, Greensboro and Charlotte. It stinks having to "waste" 10-20min for one person getting on in Kannapolis.
I wonder how much the service would speed up with something like that.
A Limited-stop Train within NC would be my best suggestion. Have a roundtrip train that stops only in Raleigh, Greensboro and Charlotte. It stinks having to "waste" 10-20min for one person getting on in Kannapolis.
I wonder how much the service would speed up with something like that.
My experience has been the stop in Kannapolis is about 3 minutes.
I took my first train ride as a grad student at ECU last fall. I went to Philly to see the Pirates play Temple. The RMT train station was pleasant and the ride wan't too bad. Trains have a lot more room than planes, which is a plus. The downside is how slow they are south of DC. 79MPH with stops isn't too different than 70mph on the interstate. I'd imagine that north of DC the train is a big convenience considering how fast they go and the traffic.
I know ECU gets a lot of students from Raleigh/Charlotte. It's a shame that the train doesn't connect to Greenville. I'd use it.
My experience has been the stop in Kannapolis is about 3 minutes.
But I meant when they have to help a handicapped person on/off. Those lift machines take forever!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
