Train happenings

I raced out of work Friday morning to see the groundbreaking of Raleigh’s new Union Station. Mayor McFarlane, Gov. McCrory, NCDOT Secretary Tata, Rep. David Price, and Federal DOT and Amtrak officials were there to break ground on this new multi-modal station. Looking around the crowd of spectators, many of whom were sweating under the strong sun, I wondered how many of them had ever actually ridden Amtrak. I’d bet the closest most have come is the hundred yards to the tracks where the NCDOT’s version of Amtrak, the Piedmont, was right then pulling into Raleigh.

Fortunately up front I spied my friend Rob Rousseau, a train buff involved in the local railroad historical society. We chatted a bit about the meaningfulness of the new station and how it stacks up to renovations at other local stations, like Durham’s. The consensus is that Raleigh is in for a big improvement over the cramped station we have now.

I’m actually taking Amtrak’s Silver Star overnight tonight to attend the funeral of my aunt in Florida. She lived in Winter Park, Florida, which is just north of Orlando and a whopping 13 hour drive away from Raleigh. Fortunately for me, her home is less than three miles from the Winter Park station. The problem I have with Amtrak is that it typically doesn’t go everywhere you want it to, but it covers many East Coast destinations well. I’m happy not to be driving and hope I can catch some sleep on the train as I go. I’m angling to get a sleeper room but if that doesn’t work out I will still be more comfortable on Amtrak than I would riding in my car or someone else’s.

It’s weird packing for this trip since I’m traveling overnight. How do I dress for a train trip that takes me to morning? It’s the same conundrum I had when flying 13 hours to Australia, only in this case I’m staying in the same time zone, so that helps.

I’ll keep you posted on the journey.