All the attention, rightfully so, is going towards our new Union Station. That has left the former station on Cabarrus empty for only a short while. It has now been demolished and cleared away.
Some pieces, including the benches and some of the wood canopy, were saved. Now the lot sits empty waiting the next development to make way. You can revisit the former station here in this photo gallery I posted in January of 2018.
Outside waiting area of Raleigh Station. January 2018.
With the opening of Raleigh Union Station only a few months away, I just had to capture the look and feel of Raleigh Station, our current train station on Cabarrus Street. This post is basically just a bunch of photos for posterity to show the station that has served Raleigh since 1950.
If you can make it down there in the next month or two, it is such a drastic difference between the upcoming station and the current one. It really feels like Raleigh leapfrogged our next train project and just went two levels higher instead.
The splintering wood, the rusty metal, and the washed out signs basically show a station that has reached its end-of-life. The interior is nothing but functional however you can’t help but admire the downtown view.
I’ll be referring to this post in the future but for now, enjoy the photos.
Google maps aerial of Raleigh Station.
Exterior of Raleigh Station. January 2018.
Exterior of Raleigh Station. January 2018.
Exterior of Raleigh Station. January 2018.
Interior of Raleigh Station. January 2018.
Interior of Raleigh Station. January 2018.
Interior of Raleigh Station. January 2018.
Interior of Raleigh Station. January 2018.
Skyline view from the boarding area of Raleigh Station. January 2018.
Signs of Raleigh Station. January 2018.
Boarding area of Raleigh Station. January 2018.
An out-of-date map of downtown Raleigh outside of Raleigh Station. January 2018.
Boarding area of Raleigh Station. January 2018.
One of the entrances to Raleigh Station. January 2018.
Current boarding area of Raleigh Station with new platforms for Raleigh Union Station in the background. January 2018.
Boarding areas of Raleigh Station. January 2018.
Boarding areas of Raleigh Station. January 2018.
From my inbox to yours.
Raleigh— State Transportation Secretary Gene Conti today announced that two additional trains providing mid-day service between Raleigh and Charlotte will begin on Saturday, June 5, increasing the state-sponsored passenger rail service to six trains operating daily between the state’s two largest cities.
“As our population continues to grow, we must provide people with travel alternatives,” said Conti. “Train travel also provides environmental and energy benefits through reduced congestion and improved air quality.”
Currently, the state sponsors four trains daily, the Piedmont and Carolinian, as North Carolina’s Amtrak. Each train makes a morning and evening run between Raleigh and Charlotte, a trip that is auto competitive at 3 hours and 7 minutes, including intermediate stops at Cary, Durham, Burlington, Greensboro, High Point, Salisbury and Kannapolis.
The new service will add two additional trains in the mid-day giving business travelers, families and college students more options to travel via rail. (See attached schedule.)
The Carolinian also provides daily service to Selma, Wilson, Rocky Mount, to Richmond, Virginia and to the northeast including Washington D.C. and New York City.
Federal Rail Administration Deputy Administrator Karen Rae will address the N.C. Board of Transportation at its meeting Wednesday, March 31 regarding the Obama Administration’s policy on transportation choices as a part of building more livable communities and sustainability.
Rae, Conti and Rail Director Patrick Simmons will be available for media interviews regarding the North Carolina’s new mid-day train service between Raleigh and Charlotte; the $545 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds awarded to the state in February; and the FRA inspection of NCDOT rail equipment, facilities and capabilities from 2:45 p.m.- 3:15 p.m. via telephone by dialing 1-877-531-0014 and then access room# *8569289* and onsite in room 117 in the Transportation Building at 1 S. Wilmington St. To view the live Board of Transportation Web feed, visit http://wms.its.state.nc.us/dotlive.
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