Charlotte station (Amtrak)

Opened in 1962, this was Charlotte's second station to be served by the Southern Railway, now part of Norfolk Southern. It was designed by local architectural firm Walter Hook Associates, Inc. The structure was designed to be constructed quickly and therefore included the use of an exposed precast concrete framing system. A separate mail building (freight depot) and boiler house were also constructed northeast of the station. The facility is smaller than its predecessor station on 531 West Trade Street, which was a response to the dramatic decrease in passenger rail service of that time. Southern Railway continued passenger rail service until 1979, when it was turned over to Amtrak. In 2002, with partnership with the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), the station was expanded with additional space for the waiting area, additional ticket window and new benches that replaced the original wood furniture.[4][5]

Southern was one of the few large railroads that opted out of Amtrak in 1971. For most of the 1970s, Southern ran two routes through Charlotte. In addition to the overnight Southern Crescent, it operated the Piedmont Limited (no relation to the current Amtrak service), a daytime train that ran from Atlanta to Washington–essentially, the middle leg of the Southern Crescent. The Piedmont was truncated to a Charlotte-Washington train for much of 1975, then cut back even further to Salisbury before being discontinued altogether in 1976, shortly before Southern bowed out of passenger service and handed its trains to Amtrak in 1979.

For most of the next two decades, the only train that called at Charlotte was the Crescent, which arrived late at night in both directions. An early version of the Carolinian provided daylight service for much of 1984 and 1985. Since the Carolinian returned in 1990, the station has seen increased traffic, and is now served by ten trains per day.

Southern Depot

Postcard of Southern Station and Stonewall Hotel

Opened in 1906, the Southern Depot (also referred as Southern Station) was designed by Frank Milburn and was located at 531 West Trade Street. Replacing the Richmond and Danville Depot, which was located in same area, the three-story Mediterranean style station had one side platform and one island platform operating on three tracks. The facility included waiting areas, ticket office and baggage facilities on the first floor; the second floor was dedicated to railroad use and a five-story tower. A separate two-story Southern Express Company (packaging services) building was located south adjacent to station, while the three-story Stonewall Hotel was located east adjacent to the station. Eaves on nearly all sides of the station, it also had a high arch going over two tracks, connecting with the island platform canopy.[7][11]

Multiple trains per day traveled through the station on the route of today's Crescent, the Southern Railway incarnation of the train, as well as other trains, such as the Peach Queen.[12] The station was also the point of departure for the Southern's Augusta Special toward Augusta, Georgia's Augusta Union Station by way of Columbia, South Carolina until the route's termination in 1966.[13]

Because of a grade separation project and the reduction in passenger service, the station was replaced in 1962 with the current Southern, and later Amtrak, station at 1914 North Tryon Street. Soon afterwards the station was razed, while two of the three tracks were raised to separate grade crossings with Fourth, Trade and Fifth streets. On November 1973, a Greyhound station was opened where the Southern Depot once stood, while unused land became car parking lots.[5][14][15]

Waiting room

The station is served by three Amtrak routes, for a total of ten trains daily. An additional Piedmont round trip is slated to begin by 2020,[19][20] increasing service to 12 daily trains.

• The Carolinian (southern terminus), with the northbound train leaving for New York just before the morning rush and the southbound train arriving in Charlotte in the evening.
• The Piedmont (southern terminus), a regional counterpart of the Carolinian, with three round trips to Raleigh.
• The Crescent, with one train passing overnight in each direction. It is the only Amtrak route that enters Charlotte from the south.

The facility is open 24 hours, which includes the ticket office, Quik-Trak kiosks, waiting area and restrooms. Services provided include passenger assistance, baggage service, bike boxes and bag storage. Free short and long-term parking is available.[21]

Charlotte Area Transit System bus number 11 meets all Carolinian and Piedmont trains. This route also serves riders who want to board the northbound Crescent, which normally arrives at 1:46 am.

The current station's exterior incorporates dark brown brick and large, angled concrete panels covered in pebble-dash. Interspersed with these heavy, solid elements are transparent walls of glass, which—coupled with clerestory windows beneath the roof—allow ample natural light to flood the 1,200-square-foot (110 m²) waiting room. In keeping with the aesthetics of Mid-Century Modern architecture, the station has minimal applied ornamentation.[5]

The plan for passenger rail service in Charlotte is to return to Center City with the proposed Charlotte Gateway Station. To be located again along West Trade Street, it is to be an intermodal transit center linking inter-city Amtrak service with local bus, intercity bus, CityLynx Gold Line and taxi/ridesharing services. When completed, the current station will be decommissioned and closed.[2][22][3]

• Charlotte, NC – Amtrak
• Charlotte Amtrak Station (USA Rail Guide -- Train Web)
• Charlotte, NC (CLT) (Amtrak's Great American Stations)