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I take the train from Cary to Charlotte on a regular basis, and it's a breeze. It takes 3 hours to drive from downtown Cary to downtown Charlotte. It takes the same three hours to ride the train.
They must have improved things. The one trip I took from Cary to Charlotte took 4.5 hours.
They must have improved things. The one trip I took from Cary to Charlotte took 4.5 hours.
3 hours has been the norm since at least 2014 when I first rode it, at least in terms of scheduled length. Obviously if there’s delays it can take longer, just like with any travel
7 hours scheduled from Cary to DC Union Station, where there is Metro connection. I may never drive to DC again after doing that a couple of times.
Yeah, the cars are iffy, but tons of legroom, no 300 person security line at TSA or arriving 2 hours early for that line.
Most Amtrak routes in the south and east aren't particularly scenic, but there are exceptions if you know where and when to look for them. Example: the Crescent southbound between Greenville and Atlanta crosses Wells Viaduct, 1400 ft long and 200 ft high at the highest point. It's a spectacular sight particularly in the fall. (The northbound Crescent crosses it too, but late at night.) Trains from NYC northward to Albany provide nice views of the Hudson Valley if you sit on the correct side of the car. You can research these things before riding.
Going west, once you get near the Rocky Mountains things get much more interesting visually.
If I drive to Rocky Mount and catch the train there, it's about 6 hrs to DC Union Station. In the middle of the night, it can be driven in 4 hrs. But who drives in the middle of the night? The engineering has been done for train travel between Raleigh and DC to get to 4 hrs flat.
I take Amtrak from Washington (or Alexandria) to Cary several times a year; it's my preferred way to go.
Sure, it's not very reliable -- but neither are flying nor (especially!) driving. As we saw this week,
Quote:
Originally Posted by hertfordshire
driving on I-95 between Richmond and DC ... a stretch I not-so-lovingly refer to as "Dante's Parking Lot"
That particular stretch seizes up all the time for no reason at all, and when there is a reason for traffic to stop... it stays stuck, for days. Oh, and the stretch from Raleigh to RVA is simply boooooring.
The Amtrak stations are right downtown, and I can bike to WAS & walk from CYN with no need to arrange a ride. The timing is fine, although I'm definitely looking forward to more frequent service in the years ahead. (Yes, this has been planned for decades, but at last the legal and funding barriers seem to be clear.)
There are a few scenic moments along the way, like some wetlands near the NC-VA border, a stretch along the Potomac shore, the James River bridge, and some towns like Ashland and Rocky Mount and Wilson, but like most train lines in the US most of the view is of farms and industrial areas.
Flights are shorter, much more frequent, and sometimes even cheaper, but honestly just maddening. It's a 43-minute flight, but the whole process of getting to, then through, the airport involves madly rushing to something else every 20-40 minutes... which adds up to half a day of stressing out, just to cross one (1) state. And yes, I've been on hundreds of flights, I have PreCheck and club access and all that jazz, but it's a fixed amount of hassle for a limited return.
Location: Chapel Hill, NC, formerly NoVA and Phila
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I took the train from Cary to Orlando two years ago. As someone upthread said, it's a night train, so super easy. Just went to sleep right in our seats. Parked car for free in Cary. Woke up in Florida. I might do it again next month (my daughter goes to college in Orlando) if Covid is better. However, I do not fly! I haven't flown since 2006. So for me, the train is a nicer option than having to drive 9 hours each way. However, my family would compare the train to flying and would prefer flying. Although even my daughter admitted that that particular train ride was very easy.
Having said that, as a non-flyer I have taken many train rides over the years including a cross country one from San Diego to DC, DC to Chicago, DC to Mississippi, and DC to Florida many times including the auto train several times. If there are delays, it can be maddening, especially if you are used to flying. And I've had some that were hours long. You really have to embrace the train ride as part of the trip and not keep saying, "We could have been there in two hours if we flew." The legroom is great, however.
3 hours has been the norm since at least 2014 when I first rode it, at least in terms of scheduled length. Obviously if there’s delays it can take longer, just like with any travel
Cary/Raleigh to Charlotte will look a lot more tempting if Charlotte can get its act together on the downtown Gateway station.
Current estimates are for Gateway Station to open in early 2023.
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