I've been a long time patron of Amtrak going back to the early 90's…read more I was living in Raleigh at the time and would commute to Charlotte regularly. I lived in DC for 15 years and had access to Amtrak on the Washington Metro Rail and Virginia Railway Express was so easy. Sometimes I would take the VRE to Washington Union Station and from there you can go anywhere in the US that has Amtrak service. My preference was the Acela high speed train to NY or to Boston. A next level experience and a hint of what high speed rail might be one day in the US. All this to say, I was back at the CLT Amtrak station to p/u James who took the train from Raleigh. There are now 8 (eight) trains to/from CLT & RDU. It was 'close' to on-time as well. Only about 10 minutes late which is not bad considering multiple stops. The CLT Transport authority is working on the new Uptown Station which remains under construction. It will connect with the Lynx line as well as the Trolley. CLT has waited a long time for this vision to become reality. I took some photos which are posted on the Yelp site and you can see, it's spartan. It's not changed much in 25 years. The biggest changes is the new Starbucks that's across the street.

I know there are a lot of mixed reviews for the Amtrak. My brother travels on it a lot to get to…read moreGreensboro for work and other areas. I understand that they are building a new one, so of course I wouldn't expect them to go out of their way to keep this one up to date. It honestly isn't even that bad! The train was literally right on time for us. We got on right before departure time and the staff have been pretty friendly. Since we are traveling as a family, it's nice that there are areas where we can sit in a four seater spot so I'm together with my brother and mom. Looking forward to getting to Greensboro safely!

36th Street is the closest LYNX station to the NoDa neighborhood. This is awesome because you can…read moreget a Lyft to a station closer to you, ride the LYNX here and back, then Lyft back to home. And there's no worries about your blood alcohol percentage. How awesome is that? This is an island platform with the tracks on both sides. It is elevated above the street level (36th street goes below) so it could perhaps be a little exposed to the weather. The station is handicapped accessible and there are audible/visual announcements of the next train in either direction. There are also automated ticketing kiosks at both end of the platform. There is no parking here but there is a large vacant space. So maybe there will be parking later? 36th Street Station is between 25th Street Station (towards Uptown) and Sugar Creek Station (toward University). [Review 10241 overall, 4 of 2019.] Link: Previous:

It's a great station perfect for a Italian neighborhood! The…read morered looks very nice for a light rail station

The northern terminus of the LYNX Blue Line at the end of the 19.3 mile track, this station is…read morelocated on the campus of University of North Carolina Charlotte https://www.yelp.com/biz/university-of-north-carolina-charlotte-charlotte. UNCC is a massive campus with an enrollment of some 30,000 students and it stands on a 1,000 acre campus. The station is at the surface level with a single island platform. There is a crossover just before the station and the trains could be at the stop on either side. There is some cover here but the station is otherwise completely exposed to the elements as are nearly all Blue Line stations. There is an automated ticket vending machine on the platform and you must have a ticket before boarding the train. You can also use the CATS app to purchase online. The next stop southbound is JW Clay Blvd/UNC Charlotte towards I-485/South Boulevard. A full run of the entire line https://www.yelp.com/collection/HPr54TmCPySOUTOSgzOvZA/Mind-the-gap-y-all takes about 45 minutes. As Chris S. mentions, there is parking here but it is only for those with campus parking permits. [Review 16942 overall - 3264 in North Carolina - 458 of 2022.]

What does one say about a light rail station? It was clean and the light rail itself was running on…read moretime the day I was there. The station appears to be well used considering it's proximity to the University, but it's still well maintained. No complaints. No issues.

We took the kiddoes for a ride uptown on the train today. We parked here and startred our journey…read more Parking deck was fine, easily accesible and free. We walked up the stairs and found a lot of trash including some feminine hygiene products that left me wondering if they were applied while climbing up the stairs. Gross. Purchasing a ticket at one of the 2 ticket vending machines was easy enough and self explanatory. The train was waiting on us and it took about 5 minutes for it to start rolling. All in all, it was a great experience.

This station is the southern terminus of the Lynx line so it has a greater capacity since more…read morepeople will be starting or finishing their journeys. They have a three story parking deck (free!) and a ground level overflow lot. Both are accessible from South Boulevard. The platform is elevated, so you might want to consider taking the elevator or feel free to climb the stairs if you feel fit. There is a ticket vending machine on the platform, but you may want to use one of the two that are in the garage if there is a line. Not a whole lot of cover on the platform, so if it's wet or windy or cold, I'd suggest waiting in the garage until the train gets ready to leave.

It's been a long time since I've taken the train. I wanted to take my granddaughter for an outing…read moreand let her experience the train leisurely. We had so much fun hanging back and checking out the scenery. The train was comfy, and relaxing. We enjoyed coffee and hot chocolate while reclining. The staff were all friendly and helpful. This particular station is awesome. It's located in a great stop where you can meander around to plenty of shops, places to eat, or sightsee. It's a great way to spend the day and affordable. It's so easy to book your ticket online and park at the station. Very easy to navigate.

A very pleasant experience, the conductor at the station was incredibly nice and led me through the…read moreprocess. It's a very quaint and understated station, but also very beautiful with its red brick and tree-lined tracks. You can park for as long as needed in the station's lot for free. That's a huge bonus if you need to leave your car for several hours or even days. The attendant will give you a parking pass for as long as your trip lasts. I enjoyed my trip to DC and everything went smoothly at the station.

We arrived about 2-1/2hr before our train. (Our flight got in extra early!)…read more Check-in was super easy. Staff was super helpful and friendly. Got to check our bags in early for our train. Only reason for the 3 star is Bathrooms are a little rough and the vending machine was down . Lol Ordered grub hub while we waited. We love riding the train to and from charlotte when flying out of CLT..

Nice trip to Raleigh in business class, plenty of room, nice staff, just wish the windows on train…read morewere cleaner Also, now you pay to park!

This above grade station is an island platform, which means that the doors of your Lynx train will…read moreopen on the left. There is cover and there are benches on the platform. The station does have the usual automated ticket vending machines at both ends of the platform. Note that the Lynx system requires that you keep your ticket with you at all times. There are fare inspectors on the line and they don't accept "Oops." 25th Street Station is handicapped accessible with ramps from street level to the platform. It is between Parkwood (towards Uptown) and 36th Street Station (towards University). There are audible and visual announcements of the train in each direction. There really isn't much nearby. That will change. [Review 10240 overall, 3 of 2019.]

A great rail of transportation. Will you get on the train just steps away from our hotel. Close…read moreto the Epic center. We jumped on the train and went to NoDa north of the city and then back, and then on to Dilsworth. It was on time, easy to use and it was clean.

A true multi-modal station, CTC/Arena is not only in front of the Charlotte arena (currently,…read moreSpectrum Center), it is adjacent to the main city bus terminal and the Blue Line Lynx station. All are within a one block walk. There are both an elevator and stairs for reaching the Blue Line platform. For the Gold Line, CTC/Arena Station is an island platform in the middle of Trade Street so doors will open on the left. There are no signs indicating the time until the next train and there are no audible announcements. This is an... interesting... part of the city. Be especially aware of your surroundings and people approaching you. [Review 1435 of 2025 - 4506 in North Carolina - 24986 overall]

The station doesn't have much in the way of amenities in and of itself. There's no need, everything…read moreyou would ever want is next door in Epicentre. It's a very large station and considered the "hub" of the light rail system. Below you can see the terminus of the CityLYNX street car which is FREE to ride. The blue line does require a ticket either physically or through the CATSPass App (which I highly recommend, Android or iPhone). The tracks on the Epicentre side go South towards Pineville, while the other side goes all the way to the UNCC-Main Campus. During peak times, trains show up nearly every 7 minutes, while slower points in the day the trains are spaced out every 15 minutes. The CATS bus terminal is right below the platform that has routes to every end of the city. While there are no public restrooms on the platform, there are some at the bus station. Just keep in mind.. yeah, it's a bus station. They try their best to keep the restrooms in order, but someone always needs to prove how nasty they are by... well you know what, you can fill in the blanks! Keep an eye out for funny individuals. While I've seen security or LYNX officials nearly every time I've been here, there's still the occasional solicitor of change that can be a bit too aggressive, or argument turned destructive. Maintain that personal bubble, my dudes! Efficient and cost effective way to get around, go out and explore the rails!

I always think that a Station is only as good as what surrounds it. Bland Street Lynx Station is a…read moregood one since it has got a ton of restaurants and bars around it: Tavern on the Tracks, Amos', Gin Mill, All American Pub (used to be Jillians), Phat Burrito, Common Market, World of Beer. The Charlotte Trolley Museum is also located here. I'm sure the museum coupled with a lynx train ride would be an awesome kid day - heck, an awesome adult day too (well, maybe just for me). The station is hidden back behind the buildings so it's hard to see from South Blvd and you can't really access it if you want to drop someone off there (they will definitely have to hike about 1/2 a block or a full block to get to the station. The great thing is that the Park and Ride @ Scaleybark is only about 7min on the train from this station.

Yep. Greek Isles. Billiards…read more Finally getting around to reviewing the final station on my Lynx list. Yep, I added these businesses a while ago after I returned from London where they have "businesses" for each of their Underground stations. And since then, I've made my way from I-485 to Seventh Street Station with pictures and a review of each of them. Of course, I'll soon have to start looking at the Blue Line Expansion stations and the Gold Line trolley stations. Bland Street is at ground level with limited cover from the elements. There is no Lynx parking here at all. There are automated ticket vending machines on each end of the platforms, which are on opposite sides of the track. It is not an "island" platform. Every so often, there is an overhead announcement when a train is en route with an estimated time of arrival, i.e., "Train to uptown arriving in six minutes." A few restaurants and activities are nearby including a billiards parlor and the Greek Isles restaurant. World of Beer is a short walk. Mind the gap, y'all!