No kidding...this now-likely change will kinda screw over, to put it bluntly, many NC riders, mostly Triangle-area riders, but others as well. Sigh. Having a single solitary option to get north of D.C. without a train change is ridiculous for such a growing area, especially when the Carolinian is generally bursting at the seams as it is. Yes, I am aware of the S Line plans that should improve travel times + frequencies at least to Richmond and D.C., but those plans are what, 10 years or more from coming to fruition, at least? (I'm talking the whole corridor, not just the starter bit to Wake Forest or whatever that was funded late last year).All this talk about the Star, got me thinking about RGH. Sure enough I did some checking for Jan 2025. Sold out coming and going between RGH-NYP. That means the Carolinian has the potential to see even more riders.
I live in the Triangle and much prefer taking the Star to the Northeast rather than the Carolinian. In addition to it being less crowded and having the option of a roommette for those who would like meals + peace, quiet, and space to work en route, the onboard staff have been friendlier and less harried. I don't blame the staff, but the Carolinian is not an altogether pleasant experience at times, especially since it is so consistently delayed. Additionally, the Carolinian just plain takes longer from RGH as it's the "milk train" and stops at more stations than the Star does.
I get the idea that "they must do something to improve superliner availability" but this is going to create challenges and will really bother folks in NC--it can't be just me?!
Although the best of both worlds (I guess) would be for NCDOT to somehow finagle a second daily Carolinian, there aren't current near-term plans for that, and I doubt there's a timeslot up on the NEC either?