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News Release
Date:9-12-05

The Greensboro Depot Opens to Train Passengers Saturday

GreensboroGREENSBORO – After a quarter-century hiatus from downtown Greensboro, train service will return to the J. Douglas Galyon Depot this weekend.  Beginning Saturday at 12:30 a.m., the historic station will receive the first rail passengers to patronize the depot since closing its doors to passenger rail in 1979.

"With close and easy access to four colleges and universities, downtown businesses, the government complex, museums,restaurants and shops, we know that Greensboro will become an even more popular destination for train passengers," said state Transportation Secretary Lyndo Tippett. "Greensboro has long been North Carolinaâ??s third busiest station and has great growth potential."

Greensboro Train Schedule - effective Oct. 1
12:30 am Crescent #19    Meridian to New York*
3:38 am Crescent #20 New York to Meridian*
8:47 am Piedmont #73  Raleigh to Charlotte
9:31 am Carolinian #80 Charlotte to New York
6:23 pm Carolinian #79 New York to Charlotte
7:08 pm Piedmont #74 Charlotte to Raleigh
* This train normally operates to New Orleans, but the route has been adjusted due to current conditions in the Gulf of Mexico
Tippett will join Congressman Howard Coble, Greensboro Mayor Keith Holliday and other city officials, transit industry representatives and citizens of Greensboro for the official grand opening of the J. Douglas Galyon Depot on Friday, October 21st.

The southbound Crescent (train 19) will be the first to stop at the historic station, arriving at 12:30 a.m. on October 1st on its way to Charlotte, Atlanta and points south. The northbound Crescent is scheduled to arrive just three hours later. Two other routes, the Raleigh-Charlotte Piedmont and Charlotte-New York Carolinian also will use the renovated facility. (See schedule below)

"The renovation of the Depot already has had a tremendous impact on development in downtown Greensboro," said Mayor Holliday. "We're confident this station will continue to be a catalyst for activity and development in the downtown area."

Built in 1927 by Southern Railway, the train station has been transformed in recent years into a multi-modal transportation complex to serve city and regional bus passengers, taxi service – and now, train passengers. Two years ago the entire depot complex on East Washington Street was dedicated to Doug Galyon, a long-time community leader and transportation advocate, when the bus portion of the complex opened for Greensboro Transit Authority  and Piedmont Authority for Regional Transit  services.

Since then crews have been working to reconfigure portions of the tracks near the station, extend the former passenger tunnel, build a new baggage tunnel, boarding platforms and canopies for train passengers. While many changes have taken place to modernize the facility such as trackside escalators and digital arrival/departure monitors, significant effort was made to maintain the original 1920’s appearance, both inside and out. With renovations complete and the arrival of Amtrak services to the depot, passengers can board trains for destinations in North Carolina and around the country. 

At its peak in the 1940s, more than 40 passenger trains served the downtown station daily shuttling passengers to destinations such as Raleigh, Charlotte, Winston-Salem, Asheville, Atlanta, New Orleans, Washington, D.C. and New York. The Southern Railway donated the historic station to the city of Greensboro in 1979 and it was used for a variety of purposes before beings transformed back into a transportation center.

Travel tips for taking the train from Greensboro:
  • Station is open 24 hours. Ticket sales and checked baggage services are available.
  • Arrive at the station one hour before train departure to allow for passenger check-in, ticketing services and baggage check-in. The depot is much larger than the current Oakland Avenue station, so it will take longer to get through the station.
  • Passengers must have valid, unexpired photo identification to purchase tickets or check baggage.
  • There is ample free short- and long-term parking at the station, but passengers will need to allow for time to get a parking permit from the station agent and return to their vehicle to place it on the dashboard before departing.
  • Carry-on and checked baggage must have tags with the passenger’s name and address. Passengers are limited to three carry-ons (no more than 50 pounds each), not including purses, laptops, diaper bags.
                                        
    For more information see the Greensboro station renovation page.

Train Passenger Guide for the J. Douglas Galyon Depot

 


***NCDOT***