NC By Train posts busiest month in 35-year history as October ridership hits new high

Published: February 24, 2026

RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina’s state-supported passenger rail service, marketed under the NC By Train brand, reached a milestone last fall: October 2025 became the busiest month in the program’s 35-year history, with 74,400 passengers riding the Piedmont and Carolinian trains—an almost 10% increase over October 2024, according to the N.C. Department of Transportation.

State transportation officials say the record-breaking month reflects a steady rebound—and then surge—in ridership that has accelerated since 2022, driven by more frequent schedules, special-event service, and partnerships designed to make train travel feel less like a niche option and more like a default way to cross the state.

“We’re thrilled to see passenger rail ridership continue to grow across North Carolina as more people experience the convenience and benefits of train travel,” said Jason Orthner, director of NCDOT’s Rail Division, in a statement announcing the milestone.

For transportation planners, October’s ridership record is more than a feel-good headline. It’s evidence that when rail service is frequent enough—and marketed in a way that fits real travel habits—people will use it.

NCDOT’s message is that growth isn’t accidental: add departures, meet people where they are (events, sports, leisure), and keep the onboard experience comfortable and connected. That approach, the agency says, is helping more North Carolinians see passenger rail as a practical option “for business, sporting events, school, to visit family or just for fun.”

Amtrak's train #75 is southbound near Lexington, North Carolina on August 14, 2018. NCDOT F59PHI #1797 "City of Asheville" leads the train as it crosses the stone viaduct spanning Abbotts Creek. Dan Robie photo.

A record month inside a record-setting run

October’s peak comes amid broader growth. NCDOT reported 608,300 riders from January through October 2025, up from 584,600 during the same period in 2024—an overall 4% increase year to date. The agency also pointed to a multi-year climb: 522,000 riders in 2022, 641,000 in 2023, and more than 720,000 in 2024, with 2025 “on track” to set yet another annual record. Industry outlets that track passenger rail echoed the state’s numbers and framed October as a key indicator that demand is strengthening along North Carolina’s busiest corridor between Charlotte and Raleigh.

Why October surged

NCDOT credits the bump to a mix of service improvements and targeted travel opportunities that line up with how people actually plan trips—weekends, festivals, sports, and day-long outings—rather than only commuter-style travel.

Among the biggest factors, the state highlighted:

More daily trip options, including expansions introduced in July 2023
Special trains and stops tied to “iconic N.C. events”
Partnership marketing, including the N.C. Ale Trail by Rail, which encourages riders to build brewery itineraries along stations on the Piedmont/Carolinian routes
Game-day schedule adjustments aimed at getting fans to Charlotte for select Carolina Panthers home games

That playbook—pairing reliable frequency with “trip reasons”—mirrors what other states have tried to do to normalize intercity rail as an easy alternative to driving.

About NC By Train

Importantly, NC By Train isn’t a separate railroad. It’s the public-facing brand used by NCDOT’s Rail Division to market and support North Carolina’s two state-supported Amtrak routes: the Piedmont and the Carolinian.

Under that umbrella:

The Piedmont provides multiple daily round trips between Raleigh and Charlotte, with intermediate stops that include cities such as Cary, Durham, Burlington, Greensboro, High Point, Salisbury, Kannapolis, and others.
The Carolinian connects Charlotte and Raleigh to major destinations on the East Coast, continuing north through Virginia and Washington, D.C. toward New York.

The NC By Train website describes a statewide footprint of 16 stations and emphasizes the heavily traveled Piedmont corridor between Charlotte and Raleigh.
It also notes a current schedule level of ten daily passenger trains stopping across those stations.

The brand promise: “stress-free,” practical, and North Carolina–first

In its record-ridership announcement, NCDOT leaned hard into the service’s comfort-and-convenience pitch: large seats, charging outlets at each seat, and free Wi-Fi—features designed to make the train feel like usable time rather than time lost to traffic.

The brand also tries to win on value and accessibility through a menu of discounts—such as for children, students, active military, veterans, and seniors—and through group pricing like “Share Fare,” which lets groups of up to eight save more as additional tickets are purchased.

And unlike many state-supported Amtrak services that rely primarily on Amtrak for public messaging, NC By Train has long positioned itself as a distinctly North Carolina–run experience, including a dedicated information line—1-800-BY-TRAIN—promoted prominently across its site and materials.

From service to lifestyle: partnerships like Ale Trail by Rail

A clear example of the brand’s “make it a day trip” strategy is the N.C. Ale Trail by Rail, a collaboration launched with the N.C. Craft Brewers Guild that encourages riders to hop between brewery towns along the Piedmont and Carolinian routes.

Instead of selling only transportation, the campaign sells an experience: build an itinerary, get off in a walkable downtown near a station, and ride again without worrying about traffic, parking, or a designated driver.

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