Amtrak

Compared to the other locations in North Carolina, the Charlotte Amtrak location needs some work. The station itself is pretty run down: linoleum floors, low ceilings, small, one-​stall bathrooms with old hand dryers. You’ll find outlets around the walls, but there’s not a convenient way to «plug in.» In addition, it’s impossible to reach the office in Charlotte by phone – I’ve tried! The amtrak station is located in a higher crime area part of Charlotte so doesn’t offer safe walking and even leaving a car in the lot is questionable (although apparently it is free to do). Overall, the location is so old and in much need of a facelift (or even better, moved to a better location!) It definitely suites your needs if you must ride the Amtrak, and it’s easy to call an Über or Lyft for pick-​up ($ 5 to Lyft to a more trafficed area in Noda).
You’ll find all the accommodations for the actual train that you would at any Amtrak location, I have take the Piedmont connector which takes you directly to Raleigh offering free, on-​board wifi, free coffee, tea and water, roomy seats with individual tables and friendly conductors. But, it’s not easy to get to and from this location and it’s in need of a serious remodel.

This station is small but every time I come here, there doesn’t seem to be a ton of people which is nice. It’s a little rundown as people note. Parking is also a frustration. However it does serve its purpose which is to intuitively bring passengers to their destinations.

Yes, this station is definitely starting to show its age but it’s in a great location. I don’t always judge a business on their building, but more so on the quality of their employees. The ticket clerks really went the extra mile to be helpful. The parking situation can be a bit stressful, as the spaces are limited. If you are going to park there long term, you need to get a parking pass stamped and place it inside your windshield. The trains themselves are clean, modern and have free Wi-​Fi. I was pretty impressed. The seats are very similar to comfortable airplane seats, except with 1000% more legroom. There are vending machines, coffee and free waters available. Some trains even have food cars with beer and wine, but be prepared to mortgage your house to buy one. Pretty positive experience. I honestly don’t know enough about trains to tell you if they are more or less prone to delays than airplanes. Thinking about taking the train next time I travel!

This is a review only for the train station, not for Amtrak or its services. The station is small, outdated, does not have enough parking, and is located in one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in the country. If you take a train out of here, have someone drop you off. Besides the limited parking, I would not want to leave my car here. One great thing about this station though is the view of Uptown Charlotte from the platform, especially at night.

Our station has got some work to do.
Everything from the small and dilapidated parking situation, to having the station in a not-​so-​good part of town, to the dingy and outdated indoors needs a little bit of love. Don’t be afraid to park in the gravel lot that’s way off to the side, apparently that’s open for grabs to anyone.
I had never been in another Amtrak station before, so in comparison to even little places like Burlington, our Amtrak lacks big time.
This all being said, everybody there was really nice and helpful, and they definitely made the experience better. I just wish that the visuals and the feeling I got from being there were more positive.

Ok. So I didn’t expect or know that Amtrak was this nice and pleasant.
The seats are roomy and designed for the taller passenger.
Each seat had a foot rest, tray for table/​dining service and could also recline without disturbing the traveler behind me.
DUE NOTE: Amtrak leaves on time.
Only two windows were open or appear to be available to provide tickets and information.
EVERYONE MUST HAVE A PARKING DECAL TO PARK IN THE LOT.

Two hours late! I’m picking someone up and I truly believe that they could do better to be on time or quote better times. Boo.

Nice people doing a good job in a really dilapidated facility. The Charlotte station is badly in need of a major renovation. For those of us using Amtrak frequently, there is a consensus this station and Raleigh are showing their age. But, It’s the only game in town unless you want to go to Kannapolis for the next stop. One last note, you will need a pass to park your vehicle in the lot when you travel from Charlotte.

The station is old, but plans for a new central terminal are in the works, so with that in mind, Amtrak is managing with what they’re forced to work with at the moment.

Terrible train. Take a flight if going from Charlotte to raleigh. Drive. Megabus. Whatever. Staff are totally rude. No southern hospitality whatsoever. #government

This is not a review of Amtrak, traveling via train, or any particular train line. I repeat, THIS IS A STATION REVIEW! I don’t care if a train is on-​time, late, or not running at all. That’s a problem for another review. What I want to tackle here is the ode to modernist architecture that is the Charlotte Amtrak Station. This thing, oy.
Let’s start with the fact that it’s a station with multiple overnight passengers, but they maintain one vending machine and one coke machine that sells – get this – Pepsi. Foul language may have tumbled out of my mouth when I stumbled into the station past midnight to see that sorry sight. Bless their little hearts.
Then we can turn to the actual lobby of the station. The imposing (?) concrete (?) walls (?) that tower two whole stories up and are finished with thrown gravel both inside and out do bring to mind a certain era. It’s like the 1960s municipal architecture experience has never been reconsidered. The thrown gravel panels inside the building are an odd choice, but I understand that we don’t all have the money for good taste.
The benches are hard and of a certain era when people were meant to slide off them, I think. I certainly did. There was some sleep to be had, and I appreciated that it was quiet and safe inside the station… even though the station was ugly. And it is ugly. Don’t visit hoping to see one of the great humanist temples of old. But consider taking a nap on the benches… provided you are a ticketed passenger, of course.
Accessibility notes: Doors open in. Ramps are plentiful. Well-​lit. Braille signage. Ticket counters are high.

Took Amtrak from Durham to Charlotte to see the Panther/​Saints game. On the return trip we were stopped by a broken down N&S freight train on the single track around High Point. We didn’t move for an hour and a half. Several weeks later I took the train to see the Panthers/​49ers play. The return trip was delayed because earlier in the day the train had run over two people in Durham and Greensboro. We were supposed to leave Charlotte at 5:15. By 6:30 they couldn’t tell us any status about when the train would arrive. «Could be 8. Could be 9. It might never show up.» I had to spend the night in Charlotte and catch the next morning’s train. On the return we were 15 mins outside of Durham when the train came to a halt. There was a sensor issue that had to be investigated. Never, ever will I use Amtrak.

Better than the Greyhound of the Skys!

I think often times people forget about taking the train… in fact I’m guilty of it too… whenever I’m planning a trip I’m thinking airplane, car… even boat but not train!
So when my dad was planning a visit to see me from Virginia and said he was taking the train I thought that’s old school… but very cool!
Initially his train was supposed to arrive at 8:10pm but they had some sort of «line crossing delay» and he finally made it in about an hour and a half later… I guess… stuff like that happens.
Anyway, outside the station was a bit sketchy but when I walked in it was clean and like other reviews have said «old and historic» Lots of wooden benches, a couple vending machines and the bathroom but hey what more could you ask for while you wait. Lucky for me everyone inside was nice and the people waiting with me were all very friendly.
Overall, my dad said that the ride was good, he was in business class so they gave drinks and they had some food options for him. He liked being able to get up and walk around and having all that freedom… he said he will definitely recommend it! So since it’s dad approved… see ya soon Amtrak!

Would give it 5 stars if it had wifi. The night staff on the weekends are great and friendly, and accomodating. If you have time to travel I would definitely look at Amtrak as an option. The only negative is the amount of time it takes to get there.
The Charlotte Station is dated (well they all are) and is crowded when there is a pending train. Access could be a bit better.
I love riding Amtrak and the Charlotte station does their best to make it a good experience.

To Amtrak, I give 5 stars for providing a needed service to those who ride the rails. For the station in Charlotte, I give 3 stars. Parking is atrocious and the taxi cabs keep you from picking up your passenger in front of the station. This is a big problem for our seniors! The station is always clean but when it is crowded, which is usually is when a train is either leaving or arriving, it’s ridiculous. When comparing our station to others I have visited, ours is accommodating, but old as h-​e-​xx! The benches are truly old school. Furniture made today should hold up as well! On my last visit, I had to park in the grass and it was a bit wet from a recent rain. However, my passenger arrived safely and received great service during the ride in business class (of course).

As I have done a couple of other times in the last couple of months for travel, I opted to go Amtrak this time again and take the train down to Charlotte for recent travel overnight. The ride and total experience was again wonderful, I love Amtrak. However I am focusing my review here on the Amtrak station itself in CLT and my couple of brief interactions there on this trip.
The platform itself is nice, a large area for boarding and disembarking. A nice ramp takes you down (or up if leaving the depot) from the platform area to the main depot area itself. It seemed a bit dark down in the area from the ramp to the depot though. The staff, as always, nice and helpful. I have not had problems with service.
The main impression from inside the depot itself is that it does the job. It is a full service depot, as that it is a manned station with staff at the desk. By no means is it run down as in horrible condition, but it seems while it is functional the years have taken a bit of a toll on it. It looks a bit worn and beat up but not run down… maybe it is time for a little revamping or major clean up. There are seats in the waiting area but it appears to be a bit small for serving an area such as CLT. The parking lot is showing its age as well but there appears to be plenty of parking available, a plus.
I noticed there were many people coming down on the train to go to the home Panthers game (I rode down on a Sunday)…what a great idea! They even have a bus ready at the depot for fans to take them to the game area and then back to catch the train out, I think the price for the bus is only around $ 1.75 a trip, which is a great deal to me and no driving, woot!
In all, the Charlotte Amtrak depot does the job. Maybe it needs a bit of sprucing up, but it certainly is functional. I’m sure I will be seeing it again in the future!

I have always wanted to travel by train, and I regret that it took me till I was 34 years old to finally experience it. I surprised my wife a couple months ago with a round trip adventure from Charlotte to NYC on the Amtrak. I should mention I won the round trip tickets for two on the auction site
for only $ 200.00 total. This site is updated quarterly by the local radio stations and multiple businesses participate with their local deals, so keep an eye on it.
Our experience with the Amtrak is best described as laid back. The train ride was going to be 12 hours long, so I decided we should depart CLT at 2AM so we could sleep the majority of the way. We arrived at the station, parked our car, hoping parking was free (it was), stepped out with our luggage and entered the station. We had our tickets printed out already, and stepped into line. The man never announced the departure, just began leading this line onto the train. No one checked our baggage, there was no hand raping from a TSA agent, just walk in and board your train, I finally had to start a conversation with an Amtrak employee to just make sure this was the Crescent train we were suppose to be on. He said yes and told us to pick out our seats. We put our bags overhead and sat down, still haven’t shown anyone our tickets and off the train goes. Around an hour later the guy stops by and asks for our tickets. We oblige and he stamps it, and that was the entire process.
Having flown for so many years, I felt like we were getting away with a crime. This laid back procedure surely wouldn’t fly on our return trip from Penn Station in NYC of all places, I was wrong. In Penn Station on the way home, they post what train to board on 15 minutes before its departure, you board yet again with no bag checks or pat downs, and they check your ticket like 30 minutes after the train has left. I could never shake the culture shock of that feeling compared to flying, but it was so convenient and relaxing. My only regret was not packing liquor, I guess next trip I will.
As far as the train experience itself, you get large wide seats with built in leg reclining via a side lever. The drop down eating trays from the airplanes are there, and the best perk of all your very own wall outlet with two plugs. The views in the morning are beautiful, traveling through all the small quaint downtown and mountain ranges. The train does stop at every station along the way, but usually only for a couple minutes.
We thought 12 hours would be almost unbearable, but we were surprised how fast it went being able entertain ourselves with electronic devices at all times, sleep together in our double seats, and have the ability to get up and explore or stretch whenever we wanted. The snack car is nice, for drinks, sandwiches, or candy. On the way back we made a dinner reservation and it was very nice to be able to sit down and eat a full dinner with beer and desert while watching the countryside pass by. (See photos)
After the experience we both agreed we would do that again anytime we found a deal, but that 12 hours was about as long as we would be willing to spend on board. Luckily Washington DC is only around 8 hours away, so I believe that will be our next train voyage.
Big fan of the Amtrak now, the low hassle and freedom on board totally outweighs any of the seediness that comes with this form of low income travel.

The Station here in Charlotte is one of the most charming Amtrak stations I have had the pleasure of traveling through. History is what you find awaiting you as soon as you enter. Step back and absorb the true rustic details of character as you transition on to your destination.

Traveling by train will never be as glamorous as it used to be, in part because technology has supplanted trains with faster (and cheaper) modes of transport, and in part because Amtrak stations are horrible. This one, although not as decrepit as some rural stations, is showing its age. Worn floors and a gravelly parking lot remind you that this once proud symbol of industrialization has followed the manufacturing industry into decline and ruin. The neighborhood surrounding this station tells the same story. One can imagine a time when these warehouses were brimming over with the wealth of commerce. But now this stretch of North Tryon is the most sickly of the street’s ailing districts.
The station is sustained primarily by industrial rather than passenger transport, but the Amtrak trains still pass through occasionally. The station is functional, if not beautiful.