Piedmont (train)
 The Piedmont seen departing Charlotte, North Carolina February 20, 2003 | |||||
| Overview | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service type | Inter-city rail | ||||
| Status | Active | ||||
| Locale | North Carolina | ||||
| First service | May 26, 1995 | ||||
| Current operator(s) | Amtrak NCDOT | ||||
| Ridership | 383 daily 140,016 total (FY11)[1] | ||||
| Route | |||||
| Termini | Raleigh, North Carolina Charlotte, North Carolina | ||||
| Stops | 7 | ||||
| Distance travelled | 173 miles (278 km) | ||||
| Average journey time | 3 hrs, 10 mins | ||||
| Service frequency | Twice daily | ||||
| Train number(s) | (73/74/75/76) | ||||
| Technical | |||||
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) | ||||
| Track owner(s) | NCRR | ||||
| |||||
Template:Distinguish2 The Piedmont is a twice daily passenger train that travels between Raleigh and Charlotte, North Carolina with a run time of 3 hours and 9 minutes, including intermediate stops at Cary, Durham, Burlington, Greensboro, High Point, Salisbury, and Kannapolis. It follows the same exact route and uses the same stations as the Carolinian. Started in 1995, the train is jointly funded and operated by Amtrak and the North Carolina Department of Transportation similar to the partnerships between Amtrak and 14 other states (for example, three Amtrak routes in California operate under such an arrangement). Uniquely for such partnerships, North Carolina owns the rolling stock, unlike the Carolinian which uses Amtrak rolling stock.
During fiscal year 2011, the Piedmont carried a total of 140,016 passengers, a 40.2% increase over FY 2010's total of 99,873 passengers.[1] The train had a total revenue of $2,498,540 during FY 2011, an increase of 60.5% over FY 2010's revenue of $1,556,873.[1]
| Fiscal Year | Ridership | Ridership Increase (Year-over-Year) | Revenue | Revenue Increase (Year-over-Year) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 140,016 | 40.2% | $2,498,540 | 60.5% |
| 2010 | 99,873 | 46% | $1,556,873 | 39.1% |
| 2009 | 68,427 | $1,119,573 |
History
North Carolina developed the Piedmont as a follow-on to the successful Carolinian, which 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.[2]
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. (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.[3][4] The Piedmont finally began operating on May 26, 1995.[5]
After delays in refurbishing motive power and passenger cars, an additional Piedmont began ooperating on June 5, 2010[6][7][8] With the addition of the second train, Amtrak rebranded the route Piedmont Service to reflect the multiple daily frequencies.[6]
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.[9] 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.[9]
Incidents
On May 13, 2010, a northbound Piedmont collided with a truck in Mebane, North Carolina and derailed. The collision derailed the locomotive and three cars, and also ruptured the locomotive's fuel tank, causing a fire. As a result, 13 people were injured.[10][11]
Route details
The Piedmont operates over North Carolina Railroad (leased to Norfolk Southern Railway) trackage:
- Charlotte District, Charlotte to Linwood
- Danville District, Linwood to Greensboro
- Raleigh District, Greensboro to Raleigh
Rolling stock
The motive power for the Piedmont is provided by seven state-owned locomotives, of which two are EMD F59PHIs, numbered 1755 (City of Salisbury) and 1797 (City of Asheville); four are EMD F59PHs, numbered 1810 (City of Greensboro), 1859 (City of High Point), 1866 (City of Durham) and 1893 (City of Burlington) originally used by GO Transit of Toronto, Ontario, Canada; and one is a rebuilt GP40PH-2, numbered 1792 (City of Raleigh), and originally used in the 1960s by the L&N.[12]1792 was severely damaged in the Mebane accident. NCDOT formerly operated rebuilt GP40PH-2 1768 (City of Charlotte); it was sold to the Virginia Railway Express.[12] Locomotives from Amtrak's national fleet, such as the GE P42DC, may also be used.[13]
State-owned passenger cars on the Piedmont are refurbished coach cars originally built by Pullman-Standard and the St. Louis Car Company in the 1960s for the Kansas City Southern and Union Pacific. There are two lounge cars and one combination car originally built by the St. Louis Car Company in the 1950s and used by the United States Army.
All rolling stock is painted in special North Carolina livery (different from the national Amtrak livery). The color scheme is blue and silver with red accents and is based on the North Carolina flag.
Station stops
| State | Town/City | Station | Connections |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | Raleigh | Raleigh | Amtrak: Silver Star, Carolinian CAT Buses |
| Cary | Cary | Amtrak: Silver Star, Carolinian C-Tran Buses | |
| Durham | Durham | Amtrak: Carolinian DATA: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 15, 16 Triangle Transit: 400, 405, 700, DRX. | |
| Burlington | Burlington | Amtrak: Carolinian | |
| Greensboro | Greensboro | Amtrak: Crescent, Carolinain GTA, PART, and Greyhound Buses | |
| High Point | High Point | Amtrak: Crescent, Carolinian Thruway Motorcoach to Winston-Salem, North Carolina Hi tran(Broad Avenue Terminal), PART, and Greyhound Buses | |
| Salisbury | Salisbury | Amtrak: Crescent, Carolinian | |
| Kannapolis | Kannapolis | Amtrak: Carolinian | |
| Charlotte | Charlotte | Amtrak: Crescent, Carolinian CATS: 11 |
References
- ^ a b c "AMTRAK RIDERSHIP ROLLS UP BEST-EVER RECORDS (link to PDF download)". Amtrak. 13 Octover 2011.
{{cite web}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Check date values in:|date=(help); Missing or empty|url=(help); Unknown parameter|http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/BlobServer?blobcol=ignored (help) - ^ "DOT approves funds for Raleigh-Charlotte train". Morning Star. November 9, 1990. Retrieved 2010-04-04.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "More delays put second Tar Heel passenger train service off track". Times-News. March 11, 1993. Retrieved 2010-04-04.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "New train won't start on schedule". Morning Star. November 28, 1994. Retrieved 2010-04-04.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ McDowell, Edwin (June 7, 1995). "Business Travel; There have been 10 billion passengers since that first commercial flight across Tampa Bay in 1914". New York Times. Retrieved 2010-04-04.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ a b Bob Johnston (May 2010). "North Carolina debuts Piedmont Service". Trains Magazine. Kalmbach Publishing.
- ^ "NCDOT Announces Two Additional Mid-Day Passenger Trains Between Raleigh and Charlotte to Begin June 5". North Carolina Department of Transportation. 31 March 2010. Retrieved 11 April 2010.
- ^ "New mid-day train boosts North Carolina's Amtrak ridership". Progressive Railroading. 3 August 2010. Retrieved 5 August 2010.
- ^ a b "North Carolina reaches fast-train deal". Trains Magazine. 22 March 2011. Retrieved 23 March 2011.
- ^ "Amtrak Train Crashes Into Truck, Derails in North Carolina". Fox 8. 13 May 2010. Retrieved 15 August 2010.
- ^ "Train, tractor-trailer wreck injures 13, disrupts Amtrak service". WRAL. 13 May 2010. Retrieved 3 April 2012.
- ^ a b List of Piedmont equipment owned by NCDOT (PDF format) Cite error: The named reference "rolling_stock" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ Amtrak Piedmont 75 arrives into Durham NC (YouTube video)