Ridership on the two state-subsidised passenger trains operated by Amtrak in North Carolina has shown increases for the six months from October 1997. The Piedmont showed a 9·7% rise compared with the same period a year earlier while the Carolinian was up just 0·2%.
Starting in May, a full-length dome car built in 1952 for the Chicago, Milwaukee, St Paul & Pacific Railroad began operating on the Piedmont as a feature of its new ’Weekend Club Service.’ For an $8 per person surcharge, up to 50 passengers can reserve a seat in the dome car and receive special amenities including complimentary beverages, newspapers and magazines. The North Carolina DOT purchased the car from Union Pacific for $110000 and spent $560000 to refurbish it, including rebuilding and modernising the electrical and mechanical systems. o
