RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina’s Department of Transportation has announced that the state will run special passenger train to this year’s U.S. Open golf championship at Pinehurst, N.C.
The “Open Express” train will run daily between Raleigh Union Station and the Pinehurst Clubhouse, near Pinehurst No. 2 golf course, during the June 13-16 tournament. The train will depart from Raleigh at 7 a.m., stop at Cary, N.C., at 7:15 a.m., and arrive at Pinehurst at approximately 9:10 a.m. Return trips will depart from the golf course at 6:35 p.m., arriving in Cary about 8:30 p.m. and in Raleigh about 8:45 p.m.
“We’re thrilled to work with so many partners including Amtrak, Aberdeen Carolina & Western Railway, and the U.S. Golf Association to be able to offer this special trip experience,” state Transportation Secretary Joey Hopkins said in a press release. “Special trains and stops like this provide the opportunity to avoid potential traffic and parking issues at large events and also show people everything that’s possible when we improve and expand our intercity passenger rail.”
Tickets are now available on the Amtrak website, available on a first-come, first-served basis. Seating is limited. Tickets must be bought in advance. To purchase online, select “Pinehurst NC” as the destination and return trip. Ticket prices and more information are available at the Amtrak website; a check of the site today (Wednesday, May 29) shows round-trip prices starting at $50.
“We are delighted to work with the North Carolina Department of Transportation and other partners to offer this unique transportation option to the U.S. Open at Pinehurst,” said Ray Lang, Amtrak vice president, state supported services. “This is an exciting, historic event and we welcome this opportunity to give golf fans an enjoyable, stress-free way to travel to and from Pinehurst with their friends and families.”
Robert Menzies, founder and owner of the Aberdeen Carolina & Western, said his railroad “is proud to help the state of North Carolina provide such convenient passenger train travel for tournament attendees. This can make the 30,000-40,000 daily visitors realize the conveniences of passenger rail travel in North Carolina and make the USGA’s tournament a great worldwide event.”
It’s Amtrak but it’s run through the NC Dept. of Transportation. Amtrak really doesn’t make the decisions on these trains. It stays in the state and is state funded.
Hard to believe. Amtrak is running extra service without 106 inside-the-beltway consultants’ reports.
SEPTA transported people to the US Open at Merion Golf Club in 1971 and 1981 using 1920’s interurban cars (“Strafford Cars”) on the Norristown High Speed Line (Philadelphia & Western). The Open is coming back to Merion in 2030 and the Norristown Line is still running. Let’s see what happens.
Don’t forget in 2014.