A North Carolina Amtrak train stops in Durham. Photo: Zachery Eanes/Axios
Ridership on North Carolina's Amtrak rail service continues to grow.
Why it matters: More than 720,000 people rode North Carolina trains in 2024 — a new record.
The state-supported Piedmont line between Raleigh and Charlotte, which added a fifth daily train trip in 2023, is driving much of the growth.
Driving the news: Train ridership grew by 4% in the first half of the year compared to the same period last year, according to figures from the N.C. Department of Transportation.
Stations with the biggest growth in ridership included 13% growth at the Salisbury station, 12% in Burlington and 11% in Kannapolis.
In the Triangle, Durham's ridership grew by 7%, Raleigh's by 6% and Cary's by 5%.
Zoom in: Between 2022 and 2024, ridership statewide surged 38%, state data show.
What's next: More improvements to the line between Raleigh and Charlotte could be coming.
Last year, the rail corridor landed $170 million in state and federal funding to allow trains to go faster and face fewer delays from freight traffic.
