by Dr. David C. Robinson, Carolinas Association for Passenger Trains (CAPT), dba “All Aboard Carolinas.”

Effective January 15, 2025*, the NCDOT contracted with Charlotte-based charter bus operator Sunway for daily intercity bus service (“Triad Danville Connector”) of two round trips between Winston-Salem and Danville, Virginia, with intermediate stops in Greensboro and Reidsville.

For the first time in years, Danville and Reidsville residents will have a direct and inexpensive (the fares are $8 and $4 respectively each way) path to Greensboro (arriving 8:40 am.) In Greensboro, they may take either Piedmont 73 (11:35 am) to Charlotte, or Piedmont 72 (11:59 am) to Raleigh. While the waiting times between bus arrival and train departures in Greensboro are long and preclude any reasonable-length same-day out-and-back train trip, the bus train combination would work well for an overnight trip to Charlotte or Raleigh (or intermediate stations. Bus and train fares must be paid separately, but reservations can be made for both.

In addition to the Triad Danville Connector, Sunway also daily operates three other routes in North Carolina. These are (1) “Mountaineer North/South” between Boone and Charlotte; (2) “Mountaineer East/West” between Boone and Greensboro; and (3) “Mid-State” between Winston-Salem and Fayetteville. Go to https://sunwaycharters.com/bus-tickets/ for more information.

Under a separate contract, Sunway operates two daily Amtrak Thruway bus routes meeting the northbound and southbound Palmetto trains (as well as the northbound Carolinian) at Wilson Amtrak Station, allowing ticketed bus-train connections to and from (1) Greenville, New Bern, Havelock, and Morehead City; and (2) Goldsboro, Kinston, Jacksonville, and Wilmington. Details on this service may be found at: https://www.ncbytrain.org/passenger-services/Pages/connector-services.aspx

CAPT welcomes these intercity bus initiatives and encourages residents of all cities served by Sunway to consider adding a train component to their trip.

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This article is scheduled to be published in the March 2025 issue of CAPT’s monthly newsletter “From The Cab.” Download Original Article

*Date correction: The actual implementation year is 2025. The previously stated year, 2024, was a typographical error.