Story by Sarah Monoson
North Carolina’s passenger rail, NC by Train, saw record ridership in 2024 for the third year in a row, according to a January 2025 press release from the N.C. Department of Transportation. With plans to expand and improve, the service — operated by Amtrak in partnership with NCDOT — looks to continue that growth. However, the Trump administration’s freeze on federal funding calls into question the future of major projects that rely on grants.
“At this time, all USDOT discretionary grants are paused per the Feb. 26 Executive Order, and we do not know when those grants will be able to move forward,” Secretary of Transportation Joey Hopkins said in an email to UNC Media Hub.
In December 2023, North Carolina’s train system received its largest-ever federal grant of $1.09 billion to acquire, design and build the S-Line, a rail connecting Raleigh and Richmond, Virginia. According to a press release from former Gov. Roy Cooper, once this project is complete — within an estimated seven years — the travel time between the two cities will be reduced by over an hour, and the travel time to Washington, D.C., by train will be more comparable to driving.
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy was unfamiliar with the S-Line grant, the News & Observer reported in February 2025, and described the funding freeze to evaluate spending as routine. Hopkins said the continuation of this project is a primary goal for the state.
North Carolina also received a $105 million federal grant through the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvement program in October 2024. A press release from former Gov. Cooper said the improvements will allow for increased ridership, additional trains, fewer delays and new routes. The release also said the project is expected to deliver $214.49 million in public benefits, from economic growth to environmental impact.
In December 2023, the federal Corridor Identification and Development (CID) program awarded North Carolina grants totaling $3.5 million to improve existing lines, connect Charlotte to Atlanta and Washington, D.C., and pursue service expansion to Asheville and Wilmington by utilizing rails owned by the companies Norfolk Southern and CSX Transportation.
Chapel Hill resident Emilie Patrick, who doesn’t have a car and largely relies on public transportation, sees the need to expand the train system’s reach. She recently wanted to utilize NC by Train to travel between two major cities, but it didn’t meet her needs.
“I was trying to book plans for spring break, hoping to ride a train from Charlotte to Wilmington — which, theoretically, should not be that crazy,” Patrick said. “But it would’ve taken [12] hours.”
A driver could follow I-74 straight from the Queen City to the beach and arrive in a fourth of that time. The train, however, must go north to Greensboro, east to Selma and then slightly north again before finally taking a connector bus south to Wilmington.
North Carolina’s train stations largely run in three parallel lines from north to south, complicating any travel from east to west or vice versa. Further, there are no stations in the state’s mountain region, and few in its coastal plains. But NCDOT’s future projects look to change that.
According to an NCDOT fact sheet about CID, the first step of the program — which uses federal grants to scope out development plans — should be completed by the end of 2025. Feasibility studies for the rails to Asheville and Wilmington have already been finalized. It is unclear whether the federal funding freeze will impact this timeline.
Liz Macam, communications officer for NCDOT’s Rail and Integrated Mobility Divisions, wrote in an email to UNC Media Hub that the state’s rail department “continues its work and planning activities until more information is available” about federal funding.
Currently, four long-distance, federally supported Amtrak trips pass through North Carolina from New York City to Southern cities. Two additional routes are state supported: the Carolinian and the Piedmont. All of these routes feature either or both Raleigh and Charlotte — North Carolina’s two most frequented stations. The Carolinian and Piedmont link the cities, making train transit a viable option for those traveling between the hubs for work, school or vacation.
“In July 2023, NC By Train announced a new daily round trip between Raleigh and Charlotte which increased options and access to the already popular intercity passenger rail service,” Macam wrote.
This expansion to a fifth daily round trip between the cities greatly contributed to NC by Train’s jump in ridership, according to Macam.
Charlotte resident Sheyenne Rodriguez commuted to Durham — one station away from Raleigh, and the fourth most frequented — when pursuing her law degree at N.C. Central University from 2020-23. She said she chose the train to save money on gas and avoid wear and tear on her car. Additionally, the nearly 3-hour commute gave Rodriguez time to do schoolwork. So twice a week she would catch an early morning train to class and return home the next day.
The routine introduced her to a recurring cast of characters.
“You get the same conductors, see the same people who use the train [to commute to] work,” Rodriguez said. “It becomes kind of like a family.”
Another perk of taking the train, Rodriguez said, was sightseeing through the “beautiful big windows.” Her train would pass through six other stations in her commute. Conductors provided tidbits about each location, such as how Lexington holds an annual barbecue festival every October; NC by Train adds special stops during that time to transport festivalgoers.
The rail service also caters to special events like the U.S. Open in Pinehurst, the N.C. State Fair in Raleigh and sporting events in Charlotte. In 2024, NC by Train collaborated with the N.C. Craft Brewers Guild to launch N.C. Ale Trail by Rail, which highlights craft breweries near stations along the Piedmont and Carolinian routes. According to Macam, these added stops and programs are another contributor to NC by Train’s growth, attracting new passengers.
Many North Carolinians, however, have never used the train system. Grace Mongelli used to commute via Amtrak when living in New Jersey. But, she said she’s never used the trains in North Carolina and doesn’t plan to, citing ticket prices and long travel times among her reasons.
“The traffic’s not that bad here,” Mongelli said. “You don’t have the extreme congestion you have in the Northeast. And the train times are much longer — it loses its convenience.”
Although NC by Train has plans to address its travel times by adding more routes, it has no plans to change ticket prices. Amtrak is more expensive than driving, not considering potential damage to one’s vehicle. A round-trip from Charlotte to Raleigh on the Amtrak costs nearly $60. A multi-ride pass, which lasts for 10 one-way trips and is restricted to five pairs of cities, shaves a few dollars off that total. Conversely, the fuel cost of driving that distance amounts to only $37.
However, according to Amtrak, taking the train is 46% more energy-efficient than driving. The company aims to reduce emissions to net-zero by 2045 through initiatives like updating its fleet to electric trains. This is a draw for those interested in greener transportation, like Patrick.
“We need to prioritize alternate forms of transportation, as a country,” Patrick said. “Amtrak is a very established business that has potential, and the funds, to make that a more achievable goal for Americans.”
