Transportation in North Carolina

Last updated

There are many different types of transportation in North Carolina, including air, rail, mass transit, and major highways. North Carolina is a rapidly growing state with over 10.4 million people [1] and requires multiple types of transportation. Currently, NC has 10 commercial and many municipal airports, a passenger rail called NC By Train operated by North Carolina in partnership with Amtrak with many different routes, public bus transportation in cities like Raleigh and Charlotte, and highways that span the State.

Contents

International/regional airports

Commercial Airports in North Carolina Commercial Airports in North Carolina.png
Commercial Airports in North Carolina

Commercial Passenger

Non-commercial

Rail

North Carolina passenger rail
BSicon CONTg.svg
BSicon BHF.svg
Rocky Mount Greyhound no dog.svg
BSicon HSTACC.svg
Wilson
BSicon bSHI2lr.svg
BSicon XINT-L.svg
BSicon XINT-R.svg
Selma
BSicon KBHFa cerulean.svg
BSicon STR.svg
BSicon STR.svg
Raleigh
BSicon pHST cerulean.svg
BSicon STR.svg
NC State Fair
(seasonal)
BSicon KRW+l cerulean.svg
BSicon KRWr cerulean.svg
BSicon STR.svg
BSicon STR.svg
Cary
BSicon XINT-L cerulean.svg
BSicon XINT-R.svg
BSicon ACC.svg
Fayetteville
Durham
BSicon HSTACC2 cerulean.svg
BSicon STR2.svg
BSicon STRc3 cerulean.svg
BSicon CONT2+g.svg
BSicon STRc3.svg
Burlington
BSicon STRc1 cerulean.svg
BSicon HSTACC+4 cerulean.svg
BSicon STRc1.svg
BSicon STR+4.svg
BSicon CONT4+f.svg
BSicon STR cerulean.svg
BSicon HST.svg
Southern Pines
Greensboro
BSicon lINTACC.svg
BSicon XINT-L.svg
BSicon lINTACC.svg
BSicon XINT-R cerulean.svg
BSicon HST.svg
Hamlet
BSicon KRWl.svg
BSicon STR cerulean.svg
BSicon KRW+r.svg
BSicon CONT2+g.svg
High Point
BSicon HSTACC cerulean.svg
Lexington
(seasonal)
BSicon pHST cerulean.svg
Salisbury
BSicon HSTACC cerulean.svg
Kannapolis
BSicon HSTACC cerulean.svg
Charlotte
BSicon KACCe cerulean.svg
BSicon STR.svg
DodgerBlue flag waving.svg
Gastonia
BSicon pHST.svg
BSicon CONTf.svg
Key
BSicon dSTRq.svg
BSicon BHFq.svg
BSicon dSTRq.svg
Long-distance Amtrak routes
BSicon dSTRq cerulean.svg
BSicon BHFq cerulean.svg
BSicon dSTRq cerulean.svg
Amtrak/NCDOT Piedmont
BSicon XINT-L.svg
BSicon XINT-R.svg
Separate platforms at junction

Amtrak operates several passenger rail lines in North Carolina. Each train is daily except the Piedmont which is twice-daily.

The state subsidizes both the Piedmont and Carolinian intercity rail between Raleigh and Charlotte and serving the Research Triangle. Amtrak has announced a third subsidized train that will run between Raleigh and Charlotte. This train will run midday to complement the Piedmont and Carolinian and include stops in Greensboro, Burlington, and High Point. There is also the Crescent which runs from New York to Atlanta during the early morning before dawn.

The planned Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor includes service along the old Seaboard Air Line Railroad mainline, which is now CSX's underutilized "S" line, north of Raleigh, and the North Carolina Railroad lines south of Raleigh currently used by the Carolinian and Piedmont services. In 2022, the USDOT granted North Carolina $58 million to start the Raleigh-Richmond segment of this corridor. The S-Line has also received a “$1.09 billion FRA Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail (FSP) grant” which “is the largest grant NCDOT has received to date and the third largest grant awarded in the country under the FSP grant program in 2023” according to NCDOT project outline [2] . The outline also highlights the potential for the S-Line to provide a top speed of 110 miles-per-hour for passenger rail and to expand coverage of undeserved and isolated areas void of reliable and efficient public transportation interconnections. [2] On July 1st, 2024, Governor Roy Cooper and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg broke ground on the S-Line project marking the beginning of widespread infrastructure investments across the state aimed at improving pedestrian safety and transportation efficiency. [3]

The State has also explored several other rail options, which would include GoTriangle Commuter service from Raleigh to Durham, and potentially Fayetteville. Some of the proposed routes are:

Mass transit

LYNX light rail car in Charlotte LYNX Car 104 at TremontStation.jpg
LYNX light rail car in Charlotte

Several cities are served by mass transit systems.

The Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) operates a historical trolley line and 76 bus and shuttle routes serving Charlotte and its satellite cities. In 2007, it opened the LYNX light rail line connecting Charlotte with suburban Pineville. Future plans include expanding LYNX Light Rail as well as implementation of Commuter Rail and Streetcar. The Gold Line streetcar will be a 10-mile, 37 stop streetcar line that will connect the Blue Line light rail, Silver Line light rail, Red Line Commuter Rail, and the Charlotte Gateway Station.

Raleigh is serviced by GoRaleigh. GoRaleigh also operates a historical trolley line giving tours of the historic areas of Downtown Raleigh and other areas of interest in the Capital City. It operates 35 bus routes, 4 of which are express routes, and a downtown circulator called the R-Line which services the entertainment and shopping areas of Downtown Raleigh. N.C. State University within the City of Raleigh operates its own bus line named the Wolfline to provide service to the university's students and employees.

The GoCary transit system has 10 routes as of mid-November of 2024. These routes are outlined on their interactive map and schedule website. [4] The most recent route added was the Downtown Loop service opened June 1st, 2024. [5] As of March of 2024, GoCary has explored the possibility of adding three new routes that would expand and replace certain routes. Those routes are Route 11, Route 12, and a Downtown Circulator route. The route map and possible alternative routes are outlined in a service changes press release from GoCary. [6]

Durham is serviced by GoDurham which operates 22 bus routes, 1 of which is a special service running from Northern High School to Downtown Durham twice a day on school days only.

Wake Forest is served by GoRaleigh which operates 2 loop routes there, one does a clockwise loop and the other is counterclockwise.

The Fayetteville Area System of Transit (FAST) serves the city with seventeen bus routes and 21 additional vehicles to assist people with disabilities who cannot utilize the bus routes.

GoTriangle operates buses that serve the Triangle region and connect to municipal bus systems in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and Cary.

Greensboro is serviced by the Greensboro Transit Authority (GTA), which operates 14 bus routes. Additionally, the Higher Education Area Transit (HEAT) system provides service to students who attend the following institutions: Bennett College, Elon University School of Law, Greensboro College, Guilford College, Guilford Technical Community College, North Carolina A&T State University, and University of North Carolina at Greensboro. The HEAT service provides transportation between campuses and various other destinations, including downtown Greensboro.

Winston-Salem Transit Authority (WSTA) operates 30 bus routes around the city of Winston-Salem; additionally, WSTA recently completed construction of a central downtown multi-modal transportation center with 16 covered bus bays adjacent to a large enclosed lobby/waiting area. There are future plans being discussed for a $52 million streetcar system connecting Piedmont Triad Research Park/Downtown with Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.

Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation (PART) is the Triad's 10-county regional organization with the goal of enhancing all forms of transportation through regional cooperation. PART Express Bus provides express shuttle service to each major Triad city from Piedmont Triad International Airport, while Connections Express connects the Triad to Duke and UNC Medical Centers. PART is also administering and developing several rail service studies that include both commuter and intercity rail.

Wilmington's Wave Transit operates eleven bus lines, 3 shuttle routes, and one trolley line within the city with over 400 bus stops. [7]

In July 2008, Western Piedmont Regional Transit Authority began serving Burke, Caldwell, Catawba and Alexander counties in the region just west of Charlotte, and include the cities of Conover, Hickory, Lenoir, Morganton, and Taylorsville. [8]

Jacksonville recently began a trial bus system called the LOOP, which runs two routes through the city and nearby Camp Lejeune. But this loop has yet to be made permanent.

Asheville operates the Asheville Transit System, which consists of sixteen bus lines [9] providing service throughout the City of Asheville and to Black Mountain, North Carolina.

Greenville is serviced by Greenville Area Transit (GREAT), as well as East Carolina University Transit, which focuses on transit for students, faculty and staff of ECU, and Vidant Medical Center transportation, which provides shuttles from parking lots, as well as in between offices in Greenville. Pitt County is serviced by Pitt Area Transit, which also operates within Greenville City limits.

Major highways

The North Carolina Highway System consists of a vast network of Interstate Highways, including Interstate 26, Interstate 40, Interstate 73, Interstate 74, Interstate 77, Interstate 85 and Interstate 95, U.S. Highways, and state highways. North Carolina has the largest state-maintained highway network in the United States, with 77,400 miles (124,600 km) of roadway. [10]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 85</span> Interstate Highway across the southeastern US

Interstate 85 (I-85) is a major Interstate Highway in the Southeastern United States. Its southern terminus is at an interchange with I-65 in Montgomery, Alabama; its northern terminus is an interchange with I-95 in Petersburg, Virginia, near Richmond. It is nominally north–south as it carries an odd number, but it is physically oriented northeast–southwest and covers a larger east–west span than north–south. While most Interstates that end in a "5" are cross-country, I-85 is primarily a regional route serving five southeastern states: Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piedmont Triad International Airport</span> Airport in North Carolina

Piedmont Triad International Airport is an airport located in unincorporated Guilford County, North Carolina, west of Greensboro, serving the Piedmont Triad region of Greensboro, High Point and Winston-Salem as well as the entire Piedmont Triad region in North Carolina, United States. The airport, located just off Bryan Boulevard, sits on a 3,770 acre campus and has three runways. It is the third busiest airport in North Carolina, averaging 280 takeoffs and landings each day. PTI is owned and operated by the Piedmont Triad Airport Authority.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asheville Regional Airport</span> Airport located in Fletcher, North Carolina, USA

Asheville Regional Airport is a Class C airport near Interstate 26 and the town of Fletcher, North Carolina, 9 miles (14 km) south of downtown Asheville. It is owned by the Greater Asheville Regional Airport Authority. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2019–2023 categorized it as a small-hub primary commercial service facility. In 2023 it served an all-time record number of passengers for the airport, 2,246,411, an increase of 22.2% over 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Research Triangle</span> Geographic region of North Carolina, U.S.

The Research Triangle, or simply The Triangle, are both common nicknames for a metropolitan area in the Piedmont region of the U.S. state of North Carolina. Anchored by the cities of Raleigh and Durham and the town of Chapel Hill, the region is home to three major research universities: North Carolina State University, Duke University, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, respectively. The "Triangle" name originated in the 1950s with the creation of Research Triangle Park located between the three anchor cities, which is the largest research park in the United States and home to numerous high tech companies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GoTriangle</span>

The Research Triangle Regional Public Transportation Authority, known as GoTriangle, provides regional bus service to the Research Triangle region of North Carolina in Wake, Durham, and Orange counties. The GoTriangle name was adopted in 2015 as part of the consolidated GoTransit branding scheme for the Triangle. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 1,735,700, or about 6,500 per weekday as of the second quarter of 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor</span> Proposed passenger rail project in the United States

The Southeast Corridor (SEC) is a proposed passenger rail transportation project in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States to extend high-speed passenger rail services from the current southern terminus of the Northeast Corridor in Washington, D.C. Routes would extend south via Richmond and Petersburg, Virginia, with a spur to Norfolk in Virginia's Hampton Roads region; the mainline would continue south to Raleigh, Durham, Greensboro, and Charlotte, North Carolina. Since the corridor was first established in 1992, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has extended it further to Atlanta and Macon, Georgia; Greenville and Columbia, South Carolina; Jacksonville, Florida; and Birmingham, Alabama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 40 in North Carolina</span> Interstate Highway in North Carolina, United States

Interstate 40 (I-40) is a part of the Interstate Highway System that travels 2,556.61 miles (4,114.46 km) from Barstow, California, to Wilmington, North Carolina. In North Carolina, I-40 travels 420.21 miles (676.26 km) across the entirety of the state from the Tennessee state line along the Pigeon River Gorge to U.S. Highway 117 (US 117) and North Carolina Highway 132 (NC 132) in Wilmington. I-40 is the longest Interstate Highway in North Carolina and is the only Interstate to completely span the state from west to east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlotte station (Amtrak)</span> Amtrak Station in Charlotte, North Carolina

Charlotte station is an Amtrak station located at 1914 North Tryon Street, about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) to the northeast of Uptown Charlotte. Owned by Norfolk Southern, it is located near that railroad's yard outside Uptown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J. Douglas Galyon Depot</span>

J. Douglas Galyon Depot, also known as Greensboro station, is an intermodal transit facility in Greensboro, North Carolina. Located at 236 East Washington Street in downtown Greensboro, it serves Amtrak passenger rail and is the city's main hub for local and intercity buses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cary station (North Carolina)</span> Railroad station in North Carolina, US

Cary station is an Amtrak train station located in Cary, North Carolina. It is served by the Floridian, Carolinian, and Piedmont services. The station is the hub for the town's GoCary bus network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piedmont Crescent</span> Region in the U.S. state of North Carolina

The Piedmont Crescent, also known as the Piedmont Urban Crescent, is a large, polycentric urbanized region in the U.S. state of North Carolina that forms the northern section of the rapidly developing Piedmont Atlantic megalopolis, a conurbation also known as the "I-85 Boombelt", which extends from the Raleigh area in North Carolina, southwards to Atlanta, Georgia in the southeastern United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raleigh Union Station</span> American intermodal transit station

Raleigh Union Station is an intermodal transit station in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Train service began the morning of July 10, 2018. Its main building serves as an Amtrak train station, while a future adjacent building will serve as the bus terminus for GoTriangle. The station is located at the Boylan Wye, a railroad junction used by CSX and Norfolk Southern, and adjacent to the Depot Historic District in downtown Raleigh.

Central North Carolina, also known as the Piedmont, is a region of North Carolina. It is located between the Mountains to the west and the Coastal Plain to the east. It is the most populous region of the state, containing Charlotte, the state capital of Raleigh, and Greensboro. These cities form the Piedmont Crescent region, much of which parallels I-85. The geography of the Piedmont primarily consists of rolling hills. Historically the region has been known for furniture and textile manufacturing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U.S. Route 70 in North Carolina</span> Future Interstate in North Carolina

U.S. Route 70 (US 70) is a part of the United States Numbered Highway System that runs from Globe, Arizona, to the Crystal Coast of the US state of North Carolina. In North Carolina, it is a major 488-mile-long (785 km) east–west highway that runs from the Tennessee border to the Atlantic Ocean. From the Tennessee state line near Paint Rock to Asheville it follows the historic Dixie Highway, running concurrently with US 25. The highway connects several major cities including Asheville, High Point, Greensboro, Durham, Raleigh, Goldsboro, and New Bern. From Beaufort on east, US 70 shares part of the Outer Banks Scenic Byway, a National Scenic Byway, before ending in the community of Atlantic, located along Core Sound.

Transportation in the city of Charlotte, North Carolina includes a large and growing mass transit and rail system, a major international airport, and several controlled-access highways.

<i>Carolinian</i> (train) Amtrak service between New York, NY and Charlotte, NC

The Carolinian is a daily Amtrak passenger train that runs between New York City and Charlotte, North Carolina, with major stops in Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, Richmond, Raleigh, Cary, Durham, and Greensboro. The 704-mile (1,133 km) service is the longest state-supported route in the Amtrak system. Northbound trains leave Charlotte at breakfast time and arrive in New York in the early evening, while southbound trains leave New York during the morning rush and arrive in Charlotte in the evening.

<i>Piedmont</i> (train) Amtrak train between Raleigh and Charlotte, North Carolina

The Piedmont is a regional passenger train operated by Amtrak and the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), running four round trips daily between Raleigh and Charlotte, North Carolina. It is a sister train to the Carolinian, which runs from Charlotte to New York City. The Piedmont route is coextensive with the southern end of the Carolinian, largely paralleling Interstate 85. It operates along the western portion of the state-owned North Carolina Railroad, which runs from Charlotte to Morehead City. Operations began in May 1995.

Southern Express is an American transportation company dealing with charter bus services and related passenger transportation services. Based in the Raleigh/Durham area of North Carolina, the company was founded in 2009 by Bruce Bechard and Vance Hoover.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlotte metropolitan area</span> Metropolitan Statistical Area in the United States

The Charlotte metropolitan area, sometimes referred to as Metrolina, is a metropolitan area of the U.S. states of North and South Carolina, containing the city of Charlotte, North Carolina. The metropolitan area also includes the cities of Gastonia, Concord, Huntersville, and Rock Hill as well as the large suburban area in the counties surrounding Mecklenburg County, which is at the center of the metro area. Located in the Piedmont, it is the largest metropolitan area in the Carolinas, and the fourth largest in the Southeastern United States. The Charlotte metropolitan area is one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NC By Train</span>

NC By Train is a brand name used by the Rail Division of the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) for two state-supported Amtrak routes operating in the U.S. state of North Carolina–the Carolinian and the Piedmont.

References

  1. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
  2. 1 2 "NCDOT: S-Line Projects — S-Line Raleigh to Richmond Project". NCDOT. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
  3. "Governor Cooper Joins US Department of Transportation Secretary Buttigieg for First S-Line Project Groundbreaking and Blue Ridge Road Construction Site Visit | NC Gov. Cooper". governor.nc.gov. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
  4. "Maps & Schedules | GoCary". gocary.org. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
  5. "New GoCary Downtown Loop Service Begins June 1st | GoCary". gocary.org. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
  6. "GoCary Major Service Changes | GoCary". gocary.org. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
  7. "Bus, Shuttle & Trolley Transportation". Wave Transit. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
  8. Western Piedmont Regional Transit Authority Archived March 25, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  9. Asheville Redefines Transit, Maps & Schedules
  10. Hartgen, David T.; Karanam, Ravi K. (2007). "16th Annual Report on the Performance of State Highway Systems" (PDF). Reason Foundation. p. 8. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 25, 2007. Retrieved October 20, 2007.

https://www.fayettevillenc.gov/city-services/transit/about-fast