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NC By Train - Of Course!

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Finally, I took the train here in North Carolina. After many years of following developments and writing about them, I boarded the #74 Piedmont train in Kannapolis on my way to Durham. My experience made me wonder why I hadn't taken the train more often, yet it also made me see where there are even more opportunities for the service to reach its full potential.

The Ride:

My wife and kids dropped me off at the Kannapolis station about an hour before departure.  The station is one block from the heart of Downtown Kannapolis, including Atrium Health Ballpark (Home of the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers), the recently restored Gem Theatre, and a thriving social district.

Kannapolis's Train Station is both quaint and modern.

Unfortunately, the rain prevented me from strolling through Kannapolis (fortunately, we visit here often).  The Kannapolis Train Station has plenty of parking, shares space with meeting rooms (I have early voted here a few times), and is within walking distance to several restaurants and shops.  The station is staffed by volunteers, and about 45 minutes before the train's arrival, the volunteer opens a small snack stand with water, some snacks, and a microwave.

When the train arrives, I board along with three others.  Kannapolis is the first station after Charlotte, and at least 60-80 people were already on board.  The passengers throughout this journey are a mix of professionals (lawyers or businesspeople), families, and solo riders.  The gentleman across from me explained to a person on his phone that he was in Charlotte for business for the day and preferred the train over taking 85.  He'll exit in Cary.

Outside of the Salisbury Station there are numerous old brick warehouses complete with ghost signs.

In Salisbury, a family waves goodbye to a son and a grandparent as they board.  Salisbury has several people exit and board the train.  Salisbury's station has a lot of potential. Salisbury is where the Southern Railway had daily passenger service to Asheville - something that may return years from now.  There is space in Salisbury for more passenger platforms - and if passenger service from the Piedmont to Western North Carolina returns for the first time since 1975, it will start here.

The train ride is rather smooth - the seats are slightly dated but comfortable, definitely more room than in an airplane.  Seating is not assigned, but a section of middle seats is reserved for parties of three or more.  The conductors politely repeat that to passengers who try to use those seats after each stop.  In Greensboro, two grandparents and their granddaughter would finally utilize those seats.

A family headed to a graduation was one of the many types of passengers aboard the Piedmont.

There are vending machines and restrooms on the train.  I didn't use either.  The car I was in seats 66 passengers and was definitely 2/3rds occupied.  I had a window seat, but I sat on the opposite side of each station.  We passed through old textile mills and company towns mixed in with the green of the woods, some overgrown with kudzu.  As the journey continued east towards Durham, tall Southern Pines made their appearance.

We had one brief stop between Salisbury and High Point - traffic ahead slowed us to a halt, which lasted less than five minutes.  The conductor explained the reason, and before I knew it, the train was on its way.  

With the wider seats and space, I took time to write for my personal blog and take some photos.  East of Greensboro, the sounds of the train whistle increased as there were more at-grade crossings.  We pulled into Durham at 4:59 pm, right on schedule.

At Durham, there was a large changeover of passengers.  Although we were near the end of the line, about two dozen passengers were waiting to get on and head to Cary or Raleigh. 

The Potential:

Greensboro station's proximity to Downtown makes rail travel to-and-from Greensboro a great day trip idea.

North Carolina offers four daily round-trip trains from Raleigh to Charlotte via the Piedmont.  Throw in the daily service on the Carolinian, and five daily trips are going to or from Raleigh and Charlotte.  But the demand is there for more.  Over the last three years, North Carolina has continuously broken annual records for in-state train ridership.  In 2024, over 720,000 passengers took the train.

Rail service between Raleigh and Charlotte could and should easily be eight times daily.  But there are, in my opinion, a few obstacles that need to be addressed.  One is Charlotte.  NCDOT is ready to take trains into the new Gateway Station in Uptown Charlotte.  However, the delay is in building the physical station, which is Charlotte's responsibility.  When that finally occurs, and it should have happened yesterday, the option of taking a train directly into Uptown Charlotte will further increase demand.  An anecdotal example is from the gentleman who sat across from me on this trip.  He mentioned to the person he was speaking with on the phone that the current Charlotte station is too small and not near Uptown. 

A common sight and sound from Greensboro to Durham was the train whistles approaching at-grade road crossings.

While the Gateway Station would most likely result in at least one additional daily round trip, there are still opportunities to increase speed and safety, specifically between Greensboro and Durham.  The ride between Greensboro and Burlington seemed to be one constant train whistle due to the number of at-grade crossings.  Over the years, NCDOT has eliminated numerous at-grade crossings, built passing sidings and dual track, and more to increase speed and safety.  After taking the rail in South Korea, I see how every eliminated at-grade crossing improves speed and safety.

Additional infill station proposals for Hillsborough, Harrisburg, and Lexington will also increase its potential.  The Piedmont is a great alternative to the traffic of Interstates 40 and 85 from Raleigh to Charlotte.  My journey was one-way to Durham, and considering the rain that fell during the day, I'm glad I was on a train versus dealing with traffic and accidents.  However, along the route, I saw so many different types of riders for various reasons that you can see why the popularity continues to increase.

All photos taken by the post author - June 5, 2025

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