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8/13/2025
In terms of ridership, it was a stellar first half of the year for NC by Train. The state-supported intercity passenger-rail service in North Carolina registered more than 355,000 passengers in the period, up 4% compared with the 342,000 passengers logged in first-half 2024.
NC by Train operates lines on two Amtrak routes between Charlotte and Rocky Mount, and Charlotte and Raleigh.
All nine stations along the Piedmont corridor between Raleigh and Charlotte registered ridership growth between 5% and 13%, with double-digit gains in Salisbury (13%), Burlington (12%), Kannapolis (11%) and Charlotte (10%).
“This type of growth supports continued improvement and expansion of NC By Train as we plan for the future,” said Jason Orthner, the director of the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s Rail Division, in a press release
Between 2022 and 2024, NC by Train’s annual ridership grew from 522,000 passengers to more than 720,000 passengers. The service is becoming more popular because of ticket affordability, the positive environmental benefits and sustainability of traveling by train, increased availability of daily trip options and other factors, state officials said.