About All
Aboard
Carolinas

ALL ABOARD CAROLINES

All Aboard Carolinas is a volunteer-led advocacy group working to bring safer, more reliable, and more frequent passenger train service to North and South Carolina. We help riders, communities, and decision-makers understand what better rail could mean for the region—and what it takes to make it happen.

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Who We Are

A public-facing home for longtime passenger rail advocacy in North and South Carolina.

Where We Work

Tracking corridors, stations, service changes, and public decisions across both states.

Our Mission

Promote safer, more reliable, and better-connected passenger train service across the region.

How to Get Involved

Subscribe, attend a meeting, share
your perspective, or support the
work directly.

Jump to: Our Mission, Where we Work,Chapters & Local Involvement, Leadership & Board, Ways to get Involved

WHO WE ARE

A volunteer-driven
voice for passenger
rail in the Carolinas.

All Aboard Carolinas is the public home of the Carolinas Association for Passenger Trains (CAPT), a longtime voice for passenger rail in North and South Carolina.

We are riders, community members, transportation professionals, and rail enthusiasts who believe that the Carolinas deserve convenient, affordable train service that connects small towns, cities, and corridors across the region.

Our members track projects, policies, and service changes, then translate them into plain language so people can see what’s at stake—and how to get involved.

A blue locomotive train with yellow and white markings at a train station platform under a metal canopy, with a few people and buildings in the background.
A woman with two young girls sitting together on a bus, all smiling at the camera. The women is in the middle, and the girls are on either side, dressed in red checkered tops.

OUR MISSION

Promote better passenger rail through information, advocacy, and connection.

Promote safe, reliable, and frequent passenger rail service across the Carolinas.

Inform the public about existing and proposed rail services, stations, and corridors.

Advocate for investments that improve safety, access, and connectivity for riders.

Support communities and local advocates working for better train service in their area.

Tracking Rail Projects & Policies

Following state and federal plans, safety improvements, and corridor proposals that affect Amtrak-served routes and future service in the Carolinas.

WHAT WE DO

Sharing timely updates & analysis

Using our newsletter and online channels to explain service changes, infrastructure projects, and policy decisions in clear, accessible terms.

Showing people how to take action

Providing talking points, background information, and contacts so riders and residents can communicate effectively with elected officials and agencies.

Bringing people together

Hosting meetings, presentations, and discussions—both in-person and online—so members, experts, and interested residents can learn, ask questions, and share ideas.

WHERE WE WORK

Passenger rail in the Carolinas is a regional story.

All Aboard Carolinas focuses on existing Amtrak-served routes and stations, key corridors that connect major cities and smaller communities, and improvements that expand service, reliability, and access across North and South Carolina.

Existing service

Tracking stations, schedules, and service changes already affect riders.

Future corridors

Following studies, proposals, and investments that shape what comes next.

North & South Carolina network

We keep an eye on projects and proposals across both states, highlighting how they fit together as part of a larger network.

Get Involved
Map of the United States with red and blue states divided, showing major cities connected by highlighted roads, and district stars indicating key locations.

Statewide perspective, local action.

CHAPTERS & LOCAL INVOLVEMENT

All Aboard Carolinas is rooted in local involvement. While this website keeps the statewide picture in view, our work is powered by members and volunteers in communities across the region.

At launch, we’re highlighting our Charlotte-area chapter as a pilot model for local organization. Local chapters help:

  • Monitor projects and station issues in their area

  • Share local news and meeting information

  • Connect riders and advocates to the statewide network

Over time, this structure can expand to include additional chapters as capacity and interest grow.

A small, cream-colored train station building with a gray roof and black decorative supports under the porch. There are benches outside, a street lamp, trees, and a clear blue sky.
A brick train station with a large clock tower, American flags, and a person at a phone booth outside.
A vintage train station with a wooden platform and sign reading 'Branchville', beside railroad tracks and green trees under a partly cloudy sky.

LEADERSHIP & BOARD

Volunteer leadership from across the Carolinas.

A man with glasses and gray hair, wearing a light-colored suit and a white shirt, standing indoors.

Martin Wheeler
President
Charlotte, NC

Helps guide the organization’s strategy and connect local advocacy with statewide passenger rail priorities.

An elderly man with glasses sitting in a black office chair, wearing a gray polo shirt, against a plain gray background.

Ralph Messera
Treasurer
Mathews, NC

Oversees financial stewardship and supports the organization’s advocacy, outreach, and education efforts.

A man with a white beard and glasses, wearing a plaid shirt, sitting indoors.

CharlesGossett
Vice President - SC
Columbia, SC

Brings a South Carolina perspective to rail projects, policy developments, and station issues across the region.

A smiling man with short, graying hair inside a sports-themed bar or restaurant, with sports memorabilia and beer tap handles in the background.

Tommy Thomas
Vice President - NC
Castle Hayne, NC

Focuses on rail issues affecting communities across North Carolina and helps bridge local concerns with broader goals.

Join & Donate
View Upcoming Meeting

GET INVOLVED

Help shape the future of passenger rail in the Carolinas.

Stay informed, attend a meeting, or support the work that keeps passengers, communities, and rail priorities connected across the region.