RALEIGH — A major change for train
travel in Raleigh took place Tuesday as the new Union Station opened for Amtrak service on West
Martin Street. The first train to leave the new facility departed at 6:30 a.m.,
heading toward Charlotte with stops in between the state's two largest
cities.
The new station was built as a partnership,
with the City of Raleigh taking the lead. The N.C. Department of Transportation
contributed more than $11 million in state funds and also provided technical
assistance and project management support.
"It took
strong partnership on all levels – local, state, federal and the private sector
to get us here. I want to thank everyone who was involved with this very
important project," said Julie White, NCDOT Deputy Secretary for Multimodal
Transportation. "As the demographics of our state change and our population
continues growing, demand for rail travel and freight movement is also
increasing. This new station plays a key role in responding to that demand."
The last train to use the old Raleigh Amtrak Station on
Cabarrus Street arrived at 10 p.m. Monday. Crews worked all night to move
ticketing and other services to the new building in time for the Tuesday-morning
station debut.
Four daily round trips between Raleigh
and Charlotte are available at Raleigh Union Station, with stops in Cary,
Durham, Burlington, Greensboro, High Point, Salisbury and Kannapolis. The
station will also serve Amtrak's Silver Star service between New York and Florida.
Some notable facility highlights include:
- A 26,000-square-foot building that includes 9,200 square feet of
naturally lit passenger waiting and amenity areas.
- Artistic metal sheets lining the wall of the concourse that were
salvaged from the original rail-served industrial building.
- A new 920-foot-long center island platform with level-boarding to
provide better access for wheelchairs and strollers. It’s the first high-level
platform in the state.
- A setup where freight trains can now bypass the station without
delays as the newly built tracks serve only passenger rail.
The Piedmont and Carolinian
trains are sponsored by the N.C. Department of Transportation and operated
by Amtrak.
To learn more about the new station, purchase tickets and view schedules visit NCByTrain.org or call 800-BY-TRAIN