Selma-Smithfield, NC (SSM)

500 East Railroad Street
Selma, NC 27576

Station Hours

Annual Ticket Revenue (FY 2023): $762,033
Annual Station Ridership (FY 2023): 13,914

• Ownerships
• Routes Served
• Contact
• Local Community Links

• Facility Ownership: City of Selma
• Parking Lot Ownership: CSX Transportation (CSXT) / Henry Joseph Price
• Platform Ownership: CSX Transportation (CSXT) / City of Selma
• Track Ownership: CSX Transportation (CSXT) / North Carolina Railroad (NCRR)

• Carolinian
• Palmetto

Todd Stennis
Regional Contact
governmentaffairsnol@amtrak.com
For information about Amtrak fares and schedules, please visit Amtrak.com or call 1-800-USA-RAIL (1-800-872-7245).

• Town of Selma
• NC By Train

Selma Union Depot was constructed in 1924 to serve the Atlantic Coast Line (ACL) Railroad and the Southern Railway (SR). Designed by architect A.M. Griffin, the masonry structure has a “V” shape due to its location at the crossing of the north-south ACL and east-west SR. The layout included a platform to serve each railroad, with a two-story tower for railroad signal operators located at the center where the two wings of the building meet.

To the people of Selma, the depot has long been more than just a transportation hub: Selma was born as a railroad town, and the depot is a significant piece of its history. The community’s love for its station shone through when the North Carolina Utilities Commission approved a railroad petition to tear the building down in 1975; it was saved when the city objected to the demolition. The city then acquired the deed to the property and relieved the railroad of liability concerns.

Union Depot reopened temporarily in 1976 as a museum and as the center for Selma’s first celebration of “Railroad Days.” Currently, the “Railroad Days” celebration is observed on the first weekend in October, commemorating the city’s railroad heritage. Numerous railroad displays and activities take place in the historic downtown and at the station. In 1982, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

That same year, it reopened as an active train station when Amtrak added a scheduled stop for the Palmetto. Around this time, the ACL built a new curved connecting track on the north side of the station to allow trains to move between the north-south and east-west tracks. Subsequently, the station is now surrounded by tracks. More Amtrak service at Selma was established in 1984, when the state-supported Carolinian was initiated on a Charlotte-Selma-New York City route, before being suspended in 1985. The current iteration of the Carolinian began operating in 1990 and has called at Selma since then. Due to the configuration of the station at the crossing of the two rail lines, Palmetto customers use a platform on the southeast side of the depot, while Carolinian passengers use a platform to the north.

Further renovations to the station began in 2001. The grounds were landscaped, including new sidewalks and paved parking. Vintage lighting fixtures were added, and the waiting room was renovated, to include exhibits on the city and railroad history. The work was completed in 2002 at a cost of $3.4 million. Eighty percent of the funding came through federal sources, and the remainder was evenly split between state and local sources.

In February 2024, officials from Amtrak, Selma and the North Carolina Department of Transportation gathered to celebrate completion of another series of renovations at Union Depot. The $2.5 million project to improve the station was part of the ongoing, companywide commitment at Amtrak to ensure a safe, efficient and comfortable travel experience for customers. As part of the project, Amtrak installed a new 325-foot-long concrete platform with additional lighting, guardrails and signage. Other improvements included the creation of accessible pathways extending from the parking lot to the depot and platform, and accessible parking spaces along Railroad Street and adjacent to the depot for customers.

Officially, Selma was chartered in 1873, yet to those who live there, the city was truly born on May 1, 1867, when the first lots were sold around the Mitchner station on the North Carolina Railroad. Mitchner station was built in 1855 and is now believed to be the oldest surviving train station in North Carolina. During the Civil War, Confederate troops occupied the Mitchner station to make a stand. By the evening, Union troops had managed to surround the Confederate soldiers, causing them to abandon the depot.

Those interested in the Civil War might visit Selma to see the Bentonville Battleground, yet Selma is also known for its Tobacco Farm Life Museum and its American Music Jubilee, a Branson style variety show put on every weekend. VapoRub was developed by a Selma pharmacist, Lunsford Richardson. He later moved to Greensboro and began marketing it as Vicks VapoRub, in honor of his brother-in-law, Dr. Joshua Vick, a Selma physician.

The Carolinian service is financed primarily through funds made available by the State of North Carolina.

Station Building (with waiting room)