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The first railroad in North Carolina was known as the Experimental Railroad. It was built in 1833 to carry rock used to build the state capitol in Raleigh and was less than two miles long. Horses pulled the cars instead of a locomotive. The first railroad to use locomotives was built from Gaston to Raleigh in 1840. That same year, the railroad between Wilmington and Weldon was completed, becoming the world's longest railway at that time.
While riding the train you can see small towns, big cities, farms and factories. You may travel over a river or two on bridges high above the water. There are two major freight railroad companies that operate in North Carolina, CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern Corporation. Also, there are more than 20 smaller freight railroads, known as shortlines. |
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ailroads were the early backbone of our transportation system. For over a hundred years, they hav helped us to have a good quality of life by bringing good jobs and industries to our cities and towns. Many of North Carolina's biggest cities were built along the major railroads.
Today North Carolina has 3,684 miles of railroad tracks throughout the state. (That is more than the distance between Wilmington, NC and Los Angeles, CA.) Those tracks still provide an efficient and environmentally friendly form of transportation. There are two types of trains that operate in the state; passenger trains and freight trains. 
The North Carolina Department of Transportation sponsors two passenger trains, the Carolinian and Piedmont. The north bound Carolinian departs Charlotte every morning and ends its trip in New York City. The south bound Carolinian train leaves New York City each morning and arrives in Charlotte in the early evening. The Piedmont train carries passengers from Raleigh to Charlotte and back everyday. Combined, the Carolinian and Piedmont carry more than 200,000 passengers each year.