RALEIGH, N.C. — If you’re heading to the U.S. Open golf championship next month and want to avoid the traffic and parking challenges at the big event, you might want to travel by train. The Open Express is a new passenger train route from Raleigh to Pinehurst just for the event.

What You Need To Know

  • The N.C. Department of Transportation is creating a new temporary train route called the Open Express to take people from Raleigh to Pinehurst

  • The train will run during the championship June 13-16

  • Organizers hope this shows riders that train travel is fun and convenient

People are riding trains more than ever. The N.C. Department of Transportation says train ridership was 38% higher last year than it was in 2019, just before the COVID-19 pandemic. One reason ridership is up is because of convenience.

The Open Express will pick up passengers in Raleigh and Cary and drop them off at the Pinehurst Clubhouse daily during the championship.

On Thursday, Amtrak ran a demo train to make sure the ride goes smoothly and passengers can have the best experience possible.

Rail Division Director Jason Orthner made sure the Open Express doesn’t get in the way of the current network of trains and that all safety precautions are in place.

“So we're running a test trying to ensure that we have all the necessary details of getting the train from Raleigh down to Pinehurst to work,” Orthner said. “Any adjustments to the way that we run the train, you know, are taken into account. We want the people when they get on the train to have the best experience possible. And so today is about making sure that it's fluid, that we checked all the boxes to ensure that the details all worked out.”

He said the train will be a stress-free and an adventurous way for people to get down to the U.S. Open.

“I think this is a great demonstration that we can we can do things like this in North Carolina,” Orthner said. “That when important events like the U.S. Open or other events, you know, that we have around the state look for important, critical transportation options so that we can get folks to these events [and] rail is a definitive option for getting them there.”

Amtrak trains provide a comfortable ride to the destination as well as food and drinks along the way. The Open Express train will run June 13-16. It will leave Raleigh at 7 a.m. and get to Pinehurst just after 9 a.m. Then it will head back to Raleigh around 6:30 p.m.

This isn’t the first time Amtrak and the NCDOT have made train travel possible to events across the state. Orthner said the NCDOT does special stops for special events such as the North Carolina State Fair, Lexington Barbecue Festival and the Cheerwine Festival.

Train organizers hope this route can make thousands of daily visitors realize the conveniences of train travel in North Carolina.

“It's also an exciting opportunity for, you know, parents with young children,” Orthner said. “Or just folks that would like to have another exciting adventure as part of their journey down to the U.S. Open.”

The NCDOT said there are about 300 seats per train to the U.S. Open, but it expects them to fill up early. To buy tickets now, go to amtrak.com.