CHARLOTTE, N.C. — North Carolina's Amtrak trains will make special stops this fall for the North Carolina State Fair and Lexington Barbecue Festival, the N.C. Department of Transportation’s Rail Division announced on Wednesday. The state-funded trains operated by Amtrak will make stops at special station platforms only used during these fall events.
North Carolina State Fair
The N.C. State Fair in Raleigh runs Oct. 17 through 27.
Starting Oct. 18 and running through the rest of the fair, trains will make two roundtrips daily between Charlotte and the fair.
Getting to and from the State Fair
- Take Carolinian train 80 departing Charlotte at 6:45 a.m., arriving at the fairgrounds at 10:05 a.m.
- Take Piedmont train 72 departing Charlotte at 10:25 a.m., arriving at faigrounds at 1:46 p.m.
- Board Piedmont train 77 departing the fairgrounds at 3:33 p.m., arriving in Charlotte at 6:33 p.m.
- Board Carolinian train 79 departing the fairgrounds at 5:48 p.m., arriving in Charlotte at 9:08 p.m.
In addition to stops in Charlotte, the Carolinian train also makes stops in Kannapolis, Salisbury, High Point, Greensboro, Burlington, Durham and Cary before arriving at the state fair.
Tickets can be booked using the Amtrak website, Amtrak app or by calling Call 800-USA-Rail. Tickets for service at the fair will need to use the station code NSF (North Carolina State Fair) and not RGH (Raleigh Union Station).
North Carolina State Fair trains returning to Charlotte will board twenty minutes before their scheduled departure time. Officials stress that the two returning trips are not interchangeable and passengers who have reservations for train 77 will not be permitted to board train 79 and vice-versa.
Lexington Barbecue Festival
The 40th Annual Lexington Barbecue Festival is Oct. 26.
Trains will make special stops at the Lexington Hospitality Center, which is at 29 North Railroad St. one block from the festival.
To get to the festival, passengers can depart from Charlotte, Kannapolis, Salisbury, High Point, Greensboro, Burlington, Durham, Cary and Raleigh. The trains will stop in Lexington at the following times:
From Raleigh toward Charlotte:
- 8:37 a.m.
- 12:16 p.m.
- 3:16 p.m.
- 5:44 p.m.
From Charlotte toward Raleigh:
- 7:53 a.m.
- 11:30 a.m.
- 3:25 p.m.
- 6:33 p.m.
Of note, Piedmont Train 78 and Carolinian Train 79 will not stop in Lexington.
Tickets can be booked using the Amtrak website, Amtrak app or by calling Call 800-USA-Rail.