December 2009 - TransDominion Express

It’s OK to cheer about the news from the passenger platform at Kemper Street Station. A few naysayers were less than enthusiastic about the state subsidizing the new Amtrak rail passenger service from Lynchburg to Washington. They said it would be a waste of public money and that not enough passengers would board here to make the service economically feasible.

The new Amtrak train between Lynchburg and Washington had twice as many passengers as expected during its first month of operation in October, state rail officials said Wednesday. Revenues from passenger fares were strong too, despite low introductory rates, said Kevin Page, rail transportation chief for the Department of Rail and Public Transportation.