A Conversation With Morganton Mayor Ronnie Thompson About the Empire Builder
A photo taken form the eastbound Empire Builder heading towards West Glacier Station in Montana. (Photo Credit: Loco Steve)
(MORGANTON) — Passenger rail last served western North Carolina in 1975.
More than 50 years later, the proposed 139-mile restoration between Salisbury and Asheville has advanced into the federal government’s development pipeline. But the route still has not secured construction funding or a start date, according to a July report from Blue Ridge Public Radio.
The project is estimated at $665 million.
Federal funding could cover roughly 80 percent, but only if state and local partners assemble the remaining $133 million. This summer, the North Carolina General Assembly left out a requested $28 million appropriation, meaning the immediate work is to pursue another state-budget request while local governments, tourism agencies, economic-development groups, and other partners identify contributions toward the match.
Restoring the corridor would not only reconnect Asheville and the mountain region to North Carolina’s existing Amtrak network through Salisbury, but also offer communities along the route another way to reach jobs, school, medical care, family, and visitors. It would also reduce carbon emissions and be an economic boon.
A 2025 NCDOT economic-impact report projected passenger rail would bring more than $1 billion in implementation-period economic activity and $59.9 million in annual economic impact.
In this edited Q&A, Morganton Mayor Ronnie Thompson reflects on his June trip from Chicago to Seattle riding the Empire Builder, one of the country’s most storied passenger rail routes. This legendary train chugs roughly 2,200 miles over 46 hours, from urban Great Lakes country and river valleys and farmland, through the immense northern Plains and Rocky Mountains, and around Glacier National Park, before gliding through the forested Cascades of Washington, reaching Puget Sound.
He talks about the community he found onboard, and why that experience has reinforced his belief that western North Carolina not only needs, but will eventually restore passenger rail service.
This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
Jeffrey Howard: You recently took the Empire Builder. Were you looking for the trip itself, or did you have a destination in mind? Why take the train rather than fly or drive?
Mayor Ronnie Thompson: My wife was born in Minnesota and grew up in Charlotte. She occasionally took the train to Minnesota to visit family. For more than 20 years, I had decided we needed to do the Empire Builder; I just didn’t have a reason to go to Chicago and catch it.
My oldest grandson graduated from DePaul University on Sunday night, and Monday morning we got on the train in Chicago and headed to Seattle. It was a great trip.
We watched other people’s YouTube videos because we wanted to know what to expect. We got a family bedroom because the roomettes were sold out. It was bigger than most rooms, but the bed itself was tight. I’m not a small person, and my wife is, so we ended up sleeping head-to-toe. She made sure I changed my socks every evening before getting into bed so she wouldn’t have to smell my smelly feet.
The food was outstanding: an appetizer, main course, and dessert. They assigned dinner times, and in the dining car they seated you wherever there was an open table. We sat with strangers every single meal and really got to know people from Florida and California, including people who were traveling from Chicago, staying a few days, and then taking the same train back.
We had a steward in our car who took care of things. If we needed a blanket, he helped; he turned down the beds every night. It was just a really good experience.
Jeffrey Howard: I’ve found that with train travel, particularly when it's long distance, you have this special few-day period of small community because you see the same people throughout, maybe you sit next to each other in the viewer car or at meals. Long-distance train trips can create a brief kind of community. Did you feel that onboard?
Mayor Thompson: There was camaraderie. You met whoever was next in line when it was time to be seated for meals. There was also a lounge car that served mixed drinks and snacks. People would come through the car saying the bartender was making Bloody Marys or mimosas, and word would spread. People would go down and have a drink.
The train stopped in a couple of places so people could get out and stretch their legs. We also met people who boarded in North Dakota and were just traveling to Seattle on a coach ticket. They were not long-distance travelers like us, but it was nice meeting them.
Everybody just got to have a good time—not having to worry about the traffic or the weather, either.
Jeffrey Howard: What were some of the best sights along the way?
Mayor Thompson: The real scenery got out in Glacier Park, and then going through Idaho, and then Washington. That was just a beautiful scenery. Going through North Dakota, Wisconsin, and Montana is green cornfields as far as you can see an any direction. It was unbelievable just to see those farms and know that I might be eating some of that corn pretty soon.
Jeffrey Howard: Did the Empire Builder have a viewing car?
Mayor Thompson: It did. They let you sit there for an hour, maybe two hours, then you needed to give it up so other people could have a chance. Two guys just camped out, brought their lunch, brought their dinner, and finally the attendant said, “Okay, you’ve got to move and give somebody else a chance.” People played cards and checkers in the lounge car. Everyone was just there to have a good time.
Jeffrey Howard: Having taken that trip, do you feel more motivated to ride more passenger travel, whether it's medium distance or even short distance?
Mayor Thompson: I would love to take it to Raleigh because I go quite a bit to Asheville. It's just an easy, convenient way to do it. I've done train trips in Japan, Europe, and the TGV. We've done the high-speed trains, and that is a different experience. It took a little bit of time after we got there on Wednesday night and Thursday. We were still doing a little rocking back and forth because you get into that rhythm.
The Amtrak was organized when we got there. They said, "Go sit in the lounge and we'll call your train number.” They called it out and lined us up in the hall for about 15 minutes, and then walked us right beside the train. You had your ticket out to tell you exactly which car to get and which room you're in, so they really did it right. If I went back again, I would do a roomette. It's not as big, but you know you can't take your bags in with you anyway. You have to leave them in the storage unit with all the rest of the suitcases, but it was a good experience, and I'm looking forward to doing another one.
Jeffrey Howard: From the government side, what hope can you give people in the community about momentum around bringing passenger rail back on the Asheville-to-Salisbury line?
Mayor Thompson: With the many meetings I have been to, and especially with Mimi [Phifer] involved, I feel like there is a 90 to 95 percent chance we are going to have this thing. Legislators are telling me they support it, and supposedly the federal government has put the money up and is ready to go.
I just feel like it is time for us in the western part of the state to have service that we really need and that people will use.