Amtrak announced record fiscal 2025 ridership and ticket revenue, with the Carolinian service through Charlotte contributing to the company’s highest passenger levels. The company provided 34.5 million customer trips and generating $3.9 billion in total operating revenue in 2025.
“These results show what’s possible when we lead with purpose,” said Amtrak President Roger Harris. “By prioritizing reliability and the customer experience, we’re laying the foundation for the next generation of passenger rail in America.”
In North Carolina, Amtrak operates 18 intercity trains per day on six permanent routes serving North Carolina, generating 1,519,978 total passenger boardings and alightings. Service includes two state-supported routes, the Carolinian and Piedmont, along with four long-distance routes connecting the state to the Northeast, Midwest, and Florida.
Amtrak trains made scheduled stops at 19 stations across the state, supported by maintenance facilities in Raleigh and Charlotte and crew bases in both cities. During the year, Amtrak spent $26.3 million with North Carolina vendors and paid $18.4 million in wages to employees residing in the state.
Charlotte sits on the Carolinian’s state-supported corridor linking North Carolina to the Northeast, with the route running from Charlotte through key Piedmont cities to Raleigh, then north via Richmond and Washington, D.C., to New York. According to Amtrak’s FY2025 North Carolina fact sheet, the Carolinian operates one daily round trip as a state-supported service operated in partnership with the North Carolina Department of Transportation.
North Carolina’s Rail Division reported that “NC By Train” recorded its highest monthly ridership in 35 years in October 2025, carrying 74,400 passengers—an almost 10% increase versus October 2024—signaling continued growth in demand for state-supported intercity passenger rail. For Charlotte, which anchors one end of the Carolinian and is served by multiple intercity routes, those trendlines add context to why corridor-style services remain a practical transportation option when paired with steady operating support and reliability-focused improvements.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy added that Amtrak’s growth is a preview of what can be achieved when collaboration occurs to help Americans reach their destinations.
Amtrak began operations in 1971 after being created by Congress to provide intercity passenger rail service in the United States. Headquartered in Washington D.C., it operates a national network that includes corridor and long-distance routes and works with states on state-supported services such as the Carolinian.
