Piedmont (train)

Piedmont

A state-owned EMD F59PH and EMD F59PHI lead the Piedmont into High Point on an autumn day in 2012.
Overview
Service type	Inter-city rail
Status	Active
Locale	North Carolina
First service	May 26, 1995
Current operator(s)	Amtrak, NCDOT
Ridership	466 daily 170,266 total (FY13)
Route
Start	Raleigh, North Carolina
Stops	7
End	Charlotte, North Carolina
Distance travelled	173 miles (278 km)
Average journey time	3 hrs, 10 mins
Service frequency	Twice daily
Train number(s)	(73/74/75/76)
On-board services
Class(es)	One class, coach
Disabled access	Fully accessible
Baggage facilities	Checked Baggage Available at Selected Stations
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Operating speed	79 miles per hour (127 km/h) maximum; 55 miles per hour (89 km/h) average, including stops
Track owner(s)	NCRR
Route map Dist. Station 0 mi Raleigh 9 mi 14 km Cary 26 mi 42 km Durham Hillsborough (future) 60 mi 97 km Burlington 84 mi 135 km Greensboro 97 mi 156 km High Point Lexington (seasonal) 131 mi 211 km Salisbury 146 mi 235 km Kannapolis 173 mi 278 km Charlotte This diagram:

Route map
Dist. Station 0 mi Raleigh 9 mi 14 km Cary 26 mi 42 km Durham Hillsborough (future) 60 mi 97 km Burlington 84 mi 135 km Greensboro 97 mi 156 km High Point Lexington (seasonal) 131 mi 211 km Salisbury 146 mi 235 km Kannapolis 173 mi 278 km Charlotte This diagram:

The Piedmont or Piedmont Service is a twice-daily passenger train operated by Amtrak and the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) between Raleigh and Charlotte, North Carolina. Operation began in May 1995. North Carolina owns the used on the Piedmont, unlike the Carolinian which uses .

North Carolina developed the Piedmont as a follow-on to the successful Carolinian, which had entered service in early 1990. Officials sought to add a second daily round-trip between Charlotte and Raleigh. In the fall of 1990, the board of transportation approved the acquisition of five used passenger cars and the leasing of two diesel locomotives. The board planned to have the second train enter service by early 1992.

The Piedmont (as the train came to be called) faced numerous delays. Norfolk Southern, which leased the track, insisted that the state construct a wye in Charlotte for turning the two trains around. At the time, the Carolinian had continued 10 miles (16 km) south to Pineville and turned around there. In 1993, the cost of the wye plus land purchase was estimated at $200,000; by late 1994, this grew to $695,000, plus $1.5 million for a maintenance facility in Raleigh. The Piedmont finally began operating on May 26, 1995.

After delays in refurbishing the motive power and passenger cars, an additional Piedmont began operating on June 5, 2010 With the addition of the second train, Amtrak rebranded the route Piedmont Service to reflect the multiple daily frequencies.

On March 22, 2011, it was announced that an agreement between NCDOT, Amtrak, Norfolk Southern and the North Carolina Railroad had been reached that would allow for $461 million in grants from the federal government to be used in upgrading infrastructure. The money would be used to add additional double track and passing sidings, as well as reducing curves, resulting in a 13-minute reduction in travel time. Improvements, and the new Raleigh station, are scheduled to be completed by 2017, and two new daily trains will be added to the route.