Durham station (North Carolina)

Durham, NC
General information
Location601 West Main Street
Durham, North Carolina
United States
Coordinates35°59′53″N 78°54′22″W / 35.998094°N 78.90606°W / 35.998094; -78.90606
Owned byCity of Durham
Line(s)NCRR Corridor
Platforms1 side platform
Tracks1
ConnectionsBus interchange GoDurham
Construction
Structure typeAt-grade
Parking74 spaces
AccessibleYes
Other information
Station codeAmtrak: DNC
History
Opened1990 (platform)
1996 (station building)
Rebuilt2009
Passengers
FY 2023112,383[1] (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Burlington
toward Charlotte
Carolinian Cary
toward New York
Piedmont Cary
toward Raleigh
Location
Map

Durham station is an Amtrak station located in Durham, North Carolina. It is served by two passenger trains: the Carolinian and the Piedmont. The street address is 601 West Main Street and is located in West Village in downtown Durham. The station is open from 6:30am to 9:00pm daily. There is free, unattended parking at the station.

The station is located in the Walker Warehouse building of the former Liggett and Myers tobacco complex. It opened on July 8, 2009.[2] From 1996 to 2009, the Carolinian and Piedmont stopped at an "Amshack" modular station across the street from the warehouse. The platform itself dates from 1990, when the Carolinian began service; passengers used a heated shelter until the "Amshack" was built in 1996.

The historic warehouse is a brick structure erected in 1897 by the American Tobacco Company trust. Included in the Bright Leaf National Register Historic District, the building is marked by impressive decorative brickwork such as corbeled pendants and mousetoothing at the cornice and parapet. The station was a joint venture of the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) and the city of Durham. The former entered into an agreement with developer Blue Devil Partners to lease and up-fit one third of the Walker Warehouse, while the city was responsible for 25 percent of the lease costs.[3]

The station is frequently used by students at nearby Duke University. It is also the nearest station to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill until the Hillsborough station opens when they both will be approximately equidistant from the university.

History

In 2024, Amtrak spent $1.5 million in upgrades to the station. This included installation of new doors, upgrades to restroom, new fire alarm system, signage, cane detection, and accessible pathways extending from the parking lot to the station and platform.[4][5]

Interior waiting area of Durham Station.
Durham Station interior waiting area

Routes

References

  1. ^ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2023: State of North Carolina" (PDF). Amtrak. March 2024. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
  2. ^ Wise, Jim; Siceloff, Bruce (July 9, 2009). "New train station a nice switch for Durham". The News & Observer. Archived from the original on July 25, 2009. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
  3. ^ "Durham Station". Amtrak's Great American Stations. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
  4. ^ "Amtrak Completes Upgrades at Durham Station" (Press release). Amtrak. April 22, 2024. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  5. ^ "Durham celebrates upgrades to Amtrak station". Durham, NC: WTVD. April 22, 2024. Retrieved April 23, 2024.

Media related to Durham, North Carolina (Amtrak station) at Wikimedia Commons