The railroad has long been an object of fascination for the American public. In movies, books and video games, trains in one form or another have been a mainstay. But in the 21st century, passenger railroads are barely thought of. It is well past time for this attitude to change. Passenger rail is cost effective, environmentally sustainable and a driver of economic growth, and it is time that North Carolina takes the lead on investing in it.
Passenger rail service is something that nearly every other developed nation has promoted, and at one point the United States did as well. President Lyndon B. Johnson initiated the first attempt to modernize passenger rail service by signing the High-Speed Ground Transportation Act of 1965. This law committed the federal government to developing a high-speed train system, but the plan never came to fruition. Instead, the nation’s passenger rail system collapsed in the late 1960s due to decades of neglect by private rail corporations.
The collapse of the passenger rail system forced the federal government to act. There was significant opposition to the government intervening, but the economic necessity of saving the rail system forced Congress to pass a law to bail out the rail system. As part of the bailout, the decision was made to create the National Rail Passenger Corporation, which would come to be known as Amtrak. Amtrak was not a nationalization of passenger rail, nor has it ever been given enough government funding to thrive. Several attempts have been made over the years to end federal funding for Amtrak; the Bush Administration attempted to fully privatize the service in the 2000s.
Yet despite efforts to derail Amtrak, the service has managed to find its footing. While its performance over the years has varied, Amtrak has done the impossible. It has continued to exist and to grow its network and ridership. In 2024, Amtrak set a record for ridership despite not seeing even recovery of ridership since COVID-19. North Carolina in particular has seen significant growth in passenger rail ridership. For the third year in a row the Piedmont Service — the daily service between Raleigh and Charlotte — has seen record high ridership.
It is well past time that we move to invest in rail infrastructure. North Carolina is well positioned to do this. Old rail lines connect the major cities, and the state’s rail service has been actively exploring expanding its network. It is not only feasible but would generate significant economic growth for the state, yet proposals are continuously delayed not because of a lack of support but because they are politically inconvenient.
While trains are not the newest idea, they are the right idea. Let us capitalize on the success we have already seen and invest in our trains. You may wonder how you can convince your elected officials to support this investment. It is simple: vote with your dollars, and take the train.
- Andrew Gary is a graduate student at the Gillings School of Global Public Health and the vice chair of the Equality N.C. Board of Directors
