The Amtrak Carolinian is a daily train between Charlotte, NC, and New York, NY, with several intermediate stops, including Richmond and Raleigh. The train travels 705 miles from end to end, taking around 13.5 hours.
A quick look at the Amtrak Carolinian
- Accommodations on this train
- Coach-class seating
- Business Class
- Free Amtrak Wi-Fi
- Food on the train
- There is a car cafe car open to all.
- You can bring food and drink on the train,
- Reminder: there is no smoking or vaping on any Amtrak train.
- You can check bags between select stations or carry on your luggage.
- Get the Carolinian schedule.
Amtrak Carolinian train host
This train has a volunteer host to help you along your journey. These hosts volunteer their time to ride the trains to help passengers, promote passenger services, and answer questions about the route, ground transportation, and area attractions.
Seating accommodations
The Amtrak Carolinian offers two different seating accommodations.
Coach seating
Amtrak coach seating features:
- Comfortable seats
- A fold-down tray
- Individual reading lights,
- 120v grounded (three-prong) electric outlets.
- Every car has two bathrooms
- Overhead shelves above the luggage seats and a luggage rack.
Business class
Amtrak business class is in a separate car on this train and includes extra legroom, a comfortable seat, and complimentary non-alcoholic beverages.
Business class on this train does allow you to reserve your seat. You are assigned a seat at booking that you can change before boarding.
Additionally, Business Class customers receive a 25% bonus on Amtrak Guest Rewards points.
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi is free and available on this train.
Food and the cafe car
The Cafe car offers:
- A variety of hot and cold meals
- Snacks
- Hot and cold beverages
- Including adult beverages
- The cafe is available for all customers for most of the journey.
- This car may close in Washington, DC, during the engine swap.
You can consume your purchases in the cafe car or return them to your seat.
You may bring food and drink aboard the train, but you cannot consume alcohol on the train you brought aboard.
Due to FDA regulations, you cannot bring food you brought on board into the cafe car.
Amtrak Carolinian add-ons
You can add a few things to this trip for a fee if needed.
Pets and service animals
- Amtrak allows dogs and cats up to 20 pounds
- The combined weight of the pet and carrier
- Trips up to seven hours
- Pets are not permitted on longer trips.
- Before booking your fluffy friend, read the Amtrak pet policy
- Print and fill out the paperwork before leaving your home.
- Make reservations for your pet before the day of travel.
If you have a service or comfort animal, read Amtrak’s service animal policy before booking to know if your animal qualifies and for booking instructions.
Bikes
- You can bring up to 50 lbs.
- Standard bicycle sizes apply.
- Maximum tire width: 2″.
- Bike reservations must be made before your day of travel.
Check the link for details; bike service may not be available at all stations. Before booking, check Amtrak’s rules and policy for bikes.
Luggage: checked and carry on
Here is how you can get your things on the train.
Checked bags on the Carolinian
This train offers a checked bag service,
- Allows up to two pieces of luggage for free,
- 50 pounds or less
- Under 75 linear inches (length x with x height).
- Your first two bags are free, and up to two more for a fee per additional bag
- A maximum of four bags can be checked per passenger.
Your first and last station must offer checked bag service to check a bag.
Carry-on luggage on the Carlonian
Each passenger may carry on:
- One personal item, 25 lbs. (12 kg) and 14 x 11 x 7 inches, and
- Two carry-on pieces of luggage, 50 lbs. (23 kg) and 28 x 22 x 14 inches each
- If you transfer to the Pacific Surfliner at some point along your journey, the baggage size for that train is up to 28 x 22 x 11 inches each.
Charges apply for additional and oversized luggage; check out Amtrak’s carry-on bag policy for more information.
Amtrak Carolinian schedule
Before leaving for your tip, verify the times on your etickets in case of last-minute changes. In most cases, the times listed are departure times. Click on the stations to see the services offered at that stop.
| 79 Northbound Weekend | 79 Northbound Weekday | Communities Served | Miles | 80 Southbound Daily |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Read Down | Read Down | — | – | Read Up |
| 7:17a | 7:25a | New York, NY Moynihan Train Hall (NYP) | 0 | 8:35p |
| 7:39a | 7:44a | Newark, NJ Penn Station (NWK) | 10 | 8:12p |
| 8:20a | 8:22a | Trenton, NJ (TRE) | 58 | 7:35p |
| 8:54a | 8:54a | Philadelphia, PA William H Gray III 30th St. Sta. (PHL) | 91 | 7:04p |
| 9:17a | 9:17a | Wilmington, DE (WIL) | 116 | 6:39p |
| 10:07a | 10:04a | Baltimore, MD – Penn Station (BAL) | 185 | 5:50p |
| 10:46a | 11:08a | 10:44a | 11:08a | Washington, DC Union Station (WAS) | 226 | 4:31p | 5:15p |
| 11:26a | 11:26a | Alexandria, VA (ALX) | 234 | 4:03p |
| 11:56a | 11:56a | Quantico, VA (QAN) | 260 | 3:29p |
| 12:19p | 12:19p | Fredericksburg, VA (FBG) | 280 | 3:07p |
| 1:36p | 1:36p | Richmond, VA Staples Mill Road Station (RVR) | 335 | 2:11p |
| 2:13p | 2:13p | Petersburg, VA (PTB) | 363 | 11:11p |
| 3:46p | 3:46p | Rocky Mount, NC (RMT) | 461 | 11:40a |
| 4:05p | 4:05p | Wilson, NC (WLN) | 477 | 11:18a |
| 4:38p | 4:38p | Selma-Smithfield, NC (SSM) | 503 | 10:48a |
| 5:30p | 5:30p | Raleigh, NC – Union Station (RGH) | 532 | 10:13a |
| 5:43p | 5:43p | Cary, NC (CYN) | 540 | 9:47a |
| 6:04p | 6:04p | Durham, NC (DNC) | 558 | 9:27a |
| 6:41p | 6:41p | Burlington, NC (BNC) | 592 | 8:46a |
| 7:16p | 7:16p | Greensboro, NC (GRO) | 613 | 8:24a |
| 7:32p | 7:32p | High Point, NC (HPT) | 629 | 8:02a |
| 8:06p | 8:06p | Salisbury, NC (SAL) | 663 | 7:28a |
| 8:23p | 8:23p | Kannapolis, NC (KAN) | 679 | 7:10a |
| 8:56p | 8:56p | Charlotte, NC (CLT) | 705 | 6:45a |
| Last Stop | Last Stop | Stations | Miles | Read Up |
The information for these guides comes from Amtrak, and Amtrak can change times anytime.
Printable Amtrak Carolinian schedule with connecting services
You can use the button below or print out one from Amtrak.com. You can learn how to print an Amtrak schedule, either the latest route or a custom one for your trip,
My goal is to keep these as updated as possible.
Safe Travels,
Kev
