I spent the past weekend in Charlotte NC travelling on Amtrak #79 & #80 - The Carolinian - boarding at Union Station in Washington DC. The trip is a little over 9 hours normally but the trip south was almost 2 hours late because of a CSX slow order due to excessive temperatures that effected the welded rail and a stop for a passenger's medical emergency in Mebane NC. Ironically, the day before in almost the exact same spot, in Mebane, The Piedmont struck a tractor trailer that was stuck at a grade crossing and I understand the locomotive was destroyed. The part of the trip over Norfolk Southern tracks did not appear to have a slow order but the damage was done by then. The return northbound trip was uneventful but was 30 minutes late.
The LYNX Blue Line is 9.6 miles long with 15 stations. The fares are cheap ($1.50 one way and $3.00 round trip) and the trains run 7 days a week. The system even provides brochures that describe the art in each station! The LRVs "include a unique seating fabric and ceiling art that continues the corridor thematic focus on Charlotte's tree canopy and the changing seasons."