Amtrak · New York, NY – Charlotte, NC
Carolinian Cell Service & Coverage Map
Modeled coverage on board the Carolinian, New York, NY to Charlotte, NC. On the train, AT&T has the most solid coverage at 93% of the route, ahead of Verizon (88%) and T-Mobile (82%). Amber stretches are spotty: signal often works but may drop. AT&T's longest true dead zone runs about 2 miles between Alexandria and Richmond.
The whole line at a glance
Charlotte, NC on the left, New York, NY on the right. Scroll sideways on a phone. Hover a band for its mileposts. Verizon, on the train.
Carriers compared on the train
| Carrier | Coverage mix | Solid | Spotty | 5G | Dead-zone miles | Longest gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AT&T Best on board | 93% | 7% | 64% | 5 | 1.9 mi | |
| Verizon | 88% | 12% | 33% | 0 | 0.0 mi | |
| T-Mobile | 82% | 17% | 76% | 5 | 2.9 mi |
Coverage summary
Verizon · On the train (in-vehicle model)
of the route has solid Verizon service on the train, plus 12% spotty
has modeled 5G; 28% at the faster 35/3 Mbps tier
longest dead zone (no signal in either model), near New York, NY
longest unbroken covered stretch, between Philadelphia and Wilmington
- 5G NR · 35/3 Mbps 28.0%
- 5G NR · 7/1 Mbps 4.5%
- 4G LTE 55.1%
- Spotty (outdoor-strength only) 12.2%
- Not yet processed 0.2%
Verizon · Outdoor model
of the route has solid Verizon service outdoors
has modeled 5G; 66% at the faster 35/3 Mbps tier
longest dead zone (no signal in either model), near New York, NY
longest unbroken covered stretch, between Petersburg and Rocky Mount
- 5G NR · 35/3 Mbps 66.0%
- 5G NR · 7/1 Mbps 7.7%
- 4G LTE 26.1%
- Not yet processed 0.2%
AT&T · On the train (in-vehicle model)
of the route has solid AT&T service on the train, plus 7% spotty
has modeled 5G; 49% at the faster 35/3 Mbps tier
longest dead zone (no signal in either model), between Alexandria and Richmond
longest unbroken covered stretch, between Trenton and Philadelphia
- 5G NR · 35/3 Mbps 48.7%
- 5G NR · 7/1 Mbps 14.8%
- 4G LTE 29.2%
- Spotty (outdoor-strength only) 6.5%
- No modeled coverage 0.6%
- Not yet processed 0.2%
Plan downloads and calls around Alexandria–Richmond (3.6 mi without coverage), Petersburg–Rocky Mount (0.9 mi without coverage).
AT&T · Outdoor model
of the route has solid AT&T service outdoors
has modeled 5G; 57% at the faster 35/3 Mbps tier
longest dead zone (no signal in either model), between Alexandria and Richmond
longest unbroken covered stretch, near Cary, NC
- 5G NR · 35/3 Mbps 57.2%
- 5G NR · 7/1 Mbps 21.2%
- 4G LTE 20.8%
- No modeled coverage 0.7%
- Not yet processed 0.2%
Plan downloads and calls around Alexandria–Richmond (3.7 mi without coverage), Petersburg–Rocky Mount (0.9 mi without coverage).
T-Mobile · On the train (in-vehicle model)
of the route has solid T-Mobile service on the train, plus 17% spotty
has modeled 5G; 61% at the faster 35/3 Mbps tier
longest dead zone (no signal in either model), between Alexandria and Richmond
longest unbroken covered stretch, near Philadelphia, PA
- 5G NR · 35/3 Mbps 60.7%
- 5G NR · 7/1 Mbps 15.1%
- 4G LTE 6.4%
- Spotty (outdoor-strength only) 16.9%
- No modeled coverage 0.7%
- Not yet processed 0.2%
Plan downloads and calls around Alexandria–Richmond (3.1 mi without coverage), Petersburg–Rocky Mount (1.9 mi without coverage).
T-Mobile · Outdoor model
of the route has solid T-Mobile service outdoors
has modeled 5G; 91% at the faster 35/3 Mbps tier
longest dead zone (no signal in either model), between Alexandria and Richmond
longest unbroken covered stretch, near Durham, NC
- 5G NR · 35/3 Mbps 91.2%
- 5G NR · 7/1 Mbps 7.0%
- 4G LTE 0.9%
- No modeled coverage 0.6%
- Not yet processed 0.2%
Plan downloads and calls around Alexandria–Richmond (2.6 mi without coverage), Petersburg–Rocky Mount (1.9 mi without coverage).
Station to station
In timetable order from New York, NY. Distances are along the track. Follows the carrier and model selected on the map.
| Segment | Miles | Coverage mix | Solid | 5G | Longest gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York → Newark | 10 | 100% | 87% | — | |
| Newark → Iselin | 15 | 100% | 82% | — | |
| Iselin → New Brunswick | 8 | 100% | 71% | — | |
| New Brunswick → Princeton Junction | 16 | 100% | 36% | — | |
| Princeton Junction → Trenton | 10 | 97% | 44% | — | |
| Trenton → Philadelphia | 32 | 100% | 52% | — | |
| Philadelphia → Wilmington | 26 | 100% | 56% | — | |
| Wilmington → Baltimore | 68 | 90% | 42% | — | |
| Baltimore → Baltimore | 11 | 96% | 17% | — | |
| Baltimore → Washington | 30 | 89% | 32% | — | |
| Washington → Alexandria | 8 | 100% | 65% | — | |
| Alexandria → Richmond | 101 | 70% | 18% | — | |
| Richmond → Petersburg | 29 | 94% | 44% | — | |
| Petersburg → Rocky Mount | 97 | 72% | 14% | — | |
| Rocky Mount → Wilson | 16 | 100% | 35% | — | |
| Wilson → Selma | 25 | 93% | 16% | — | |
| Selma → Raleigh | 29 | 92% | 15% | — | |
| Raleigh → Raleigh | 4 | 100% | 38% | — | |
| Raleigh → Cary | 5 | 100% | 70% | — | |
| Cary → Durham | 18 | 100% | 19% | — | |
| Durham → Burlington | 33 | 93% | 29% | — | |
| Burlington → Greensboro | 21 | 75% | 33% | — | |
| Greensboro → High Point | 15 | 100% | 38% | — | |
| High Point → Salisbury | 34 | 88% | 31% | — | |
| Salisbury → Kannapolis | 16 | 97% | 43% | — | |
| Kannapolis → Charlotte | 27 | 100% | 38% | — |
| Segment | Miles | Coverage mix | Solid | 5G | Longest gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York → Newark | 10 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Newark → Iselin | 15 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Iselin → New Brunswick | 8 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| New Brunswick → Princeton Junction | 16 | 100% | 78% | — | |
| Princeton Junction → Trenton | 10 | 100% | 82% | — | |
| Trenton → Philadelphia | 32 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Philadelphia → Wilmington | 26 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Wilmington → Baltimore | 68 | 100% | 91% | — | |
| Baltimore → Baltimore | 11 | 100% | 89% | — | |
| Baltimore → Washington | 30 | 100% | 87% | — | |
| Washington → Alexandria | 8 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Alexandria → Richmond | 101 | 100% | 56% | — | |
| Richmond → Petersburg | 29 | 100% | 99% | — | |
| Petersburg → Rocky Mount | 97 | 100% | 37% | — | |
| Rocky Mount → Wilson | 16 | 100% | 78% | — | |
| Wilson → Selma | 25 | 100% | 59% | — | |
| Selma → Raleigh | 29 | 100% | 68% | — | |
| Raleigh → Raleigh | 4 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Raleigh → Cary | 5 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Cary → Durham | 18 | 100% | 83% | — | |
| Durham → Burlington | 33 | 100% | 72% | — | |
| Burlington → Greensboro | 21 | 100% | 62% | — | |
| Greensboro → High Point | 15 | 100% | 89% | — | |
| High Point → Salisbury | 34 | 100% | 67% | — | |
| Salisbury → Kannapolis | 16 | 100% | 88% | — | |
| Kannapolis → Charlotte | 27 | 100% | 94% | — |
| Segment | Miles | Coverage mix | Solid | 5G | Longest gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York → Newark | 10 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Newark → Iselin | 15 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Iselin → New Brunswick | 8 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| New Brunswick → Princeton Junction | 16 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Princeton Junction → Trenton | 10 | 100% | 66% | — | |
| Trenton → Philadelphia | 32 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Philadelphia → Wilmington | 26 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Wilmington → Baltimore | 68 | 100% | 80% | — | |
| Baltimore → Baltimore | 11 | 100% | 91% | — | |
| Baltimore → Washington | 30 | 100% | 95% | — | |
| Washington → Alexandria | 8 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Alexandria → Richmond | 101 | 76% | 52% | 1.9 mi | |
| Richmond → Petersburg | 29 | 95% | 75% | — | |
| Petersburg → Rocky Mount | 97 | 79% | 13% | 0.6 mi | |
| Rocky Mount → Wilson | 16 | 100% | 26% | — | |
| Wilson → Selma | 25 | 100% | 12% | — | |
| Selma → Raleigh | 29 | 97% | 61% | — | |
| Raleigh → Raleigh | 4 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Raleigh → Cary | 5 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Cary → Durham | 18 | 100% | 97% | — | |
| Durham → Burlington | 33 | 100% | 49% | — | |
| Burlington → Greensboro | 21 | 98% | 77% | — | |
| Greensboro → High Point | 15 | 100% | 86% | — | |
| High Point → Salisbury | 34 | 96% | 47% | — | |
| Salisbury → Kannapolis | 16 | 97% | 63% | — | |
| Kannapolis → Charlotte | 27 | 100% | 96% | — |
| Segment | Miles | Coverage mix | Solid | 5G | Longest gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York → Newark | 10 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Newark → Iselin | 15 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Iselin → New Brunswick | 8 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| New Brunswick → Princeton Junction | 16 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Princeton Junction → Trenton | 10 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Trenton → Philadelphia | 32 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Philadelphia → Wilmington | 26 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Wilmington → Baltimore | 68 | 100% | 96% | — | |
| Baltimore → Baltimore | 11 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Baltimore → Washington | 30 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Washington → Alexandria | 8 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Alexandria → Richmond | 101 | 96% | 86% | 1.9 mi | |
| Richmond → Petersburg | 29 | 100% | 94% | — | |
| Petersburg → Rocky Mount | 97 | 99% | 18% | 0.6 mi | |
| Rocky Mount → Wilson | 16 | 100% | 38% | — | |
| Wilson → Selma | 25 | 100% | 22% | — | |
| Selma → Raleigh | 29 | 100% | 82% | — | |
| Raleigh → Raleigh | 4 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Raleigh → Cary | 5 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Cary → Durham | 18 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Durham → Burlington | 33 | 100% | 88% | — | |
| Burlington → Greensboro | 21 | 100% | 97% | — | |
| Greensboro → High Point | 15 | 100% | 95% | — | |
| High Point → Salisbury | 34 | 100% | 66% | — | |
| Salisbury → Kannapolis | 16 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Kannapolis → Charlotte | 27 | 100% | 100% | — |
| Segment | Miles | Coverage mix | Solid | 5G | Longest gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York → Newark | 10 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Newark → Iselin | 15 | 100% | 94% | — | |
| Iselin → New Brunswick | 8 | 96% | 83% | — | |
| New Brunswick → Princeton Junction | 16 | 74% | 64% | — | |
| Princeton Junction → Trenton | 10 | 84% | 80% | — | |
| Trenton → Philadelphia | 32 | 97% | 93% | — | |
| Philadelphia → Wilmington | 26 | 98% | 96% | — | |
| Wilmington → Baltimore | 68 | 96% | 87% | — | |
| Baltimore → Baltimore | 11 | 88% | 88% | — | |
| Baltimore → Washington | 30 | 96% | 89% | — | |
| Washington → Alexandria | 8 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Alexandria → Richmond | 101 | 57% | 49% | 2.9 mi | |
| Richmond → Petersburg | 29 | 95% | 90% | — | |
| Petersburg → Rocky Mount | 97 | 56% | 47% | 1.9 mi | |
| Rocky Mount → Wilson | 16 | 97% | 91% | — | |
| Wilson → Selma | 25 | 99% | 90% | — | |
| Selma → Raleigh | 29 | 86% | 75% | — | |
| Raleigh → Raleigh | 4 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Raleigh → Cary | 5 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Cary → Durham | 18 | 98% | 96% | — | |
| Durham → Burlington | 33 | 87% | 80% | — | |
| Burlington → Greensboro | 21 | 82% | 79% | — | |
| Greensboro → High Point | 15 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| High Point → Salisbury | 34 | 75% | 71% | — | |
| Salisbury → Kannapolis | 16 | 95% | 94% | — | |
| Kannapolis → Charlotte | 27 | 97% | 89% | — |
| Segment | Miles | Coverage mix | Solid | 5G | Longest gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York → Newark | 10 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Newark → Iselin | 15 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Iselin → New Brunswick | 8 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| New Brunswick → Princeton Junction | 16 | 100% | 96% | — | |
| Princeton Junction → Trenton | 10 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Trenton → Philadelphia | 32 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Philadelphia → Wilmington | 26 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Wilmington → Baltimore | 68 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Baltimore → Baltimore | 11 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Baltimore → Washington | 30 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Washington → Alexandria | 8 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Alexandria → Richmond | 101 | 97% | 94% | 2.6 mi | |
| Richmond → Petersburg | 29 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Petersburg → Rocky Mount | 97 | 98% | 95% | 1.9 mi | |
| Rocky Mount → Wilson | 16 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Wilson → Selma | 25 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Selma → Raleigh | 29 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Raleigh → Raleigh | 4 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Raleigh → Cary | 5 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Cary → Durham | 18 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Durham → Burlington | 33 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Burlington → Greensboro | 21 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Greensboro → High Point | 15 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| High Point → Salisbury | 34 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Salisbury → Kannapolis | 16 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Kannapolis → Charlotte | 27 | 100% | 100% | — |
Carolinian cell service FAQ
Does the Carolinian have cell service?
For most of the trip, yes. Inside the train, solid coverage (the FCC's in-vehicle model) reaches 93% for AT&T, 88% for Verizon, 82% for T-Mobile of the 702-mile route from New York, NY to Charlotte, NC. Much of the rest is spotty rather than dead: AT&T has some signal on 99%, Verizon has some signal on 100%, T-Mobile has some signal on 99%.
Which carrier is best on the Carolinian?
AT&T has the most modeled on-train coverage (93%), with 5G on 64% of the route. Verizon covers 88% and T-Mobile covers 82%.
Where is the longest dead zone on the Carolinian?
AT&T: about 2 miles between Alexandria and Richmond. Verizon: about 0 miles near New York, NY. T-Mobile: about 3 miles between Alexandria and Richmond.
Does Amtrak Wi-Fi work on the Carolinian?
Amtrak Wi-Fi relies on cellular networks, so it generally weakens or drops in the same places your phone does. Expect it to be unreliable through the dead zones shown on this map.
How accurate is this coverage map?
It reflects carrier-reported modeled coverage published by the FCC (data as of Dec 31, 2025). It is not an onboard measurement. BarTrakr shows the FCC's in-vehicle model by default; the outdoor model is available with the Outdoor switch.
Can I use BarTrakr on the train without signal?
Yes. Tap “Save for offline” before you board. The route, coverage data and map background up to zoom 10 are stored on your device, and live tracking uses your phone's GPS, which works without cell service.
About this data
- Coverage: FCC Broadband Data Collection mobile coverage for Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, release D25 (as of Dec 31, 2025, published Oct 13, 2026).
- Route: U.S. DOT / BTS National Transportation Atlas Database, Amtrak Routes. Stations and stop order: Amtrak GTFS.
- On the train: colored where the FCC in-vehicle model shows coverage; amber (spotty) where only the outdoor model does; red where neither does.
- Stretches shorter than a quarter mile are merged into their neighbors; at train speed they last only seconds.