Read the article >

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.

They were wrong.

While it’s too soon to declare the new rail service a total success, figures from its first month of service in October show the Amtrak train had twice as many passengers as expected during its first month.

Accompanying that good news was a financial note that revenues from passenger fares were strong, despite low introductory rates. “We had a very strong month,” Kevin Page told members of the Commonwealth Transportation Board last week. He is rail transportation chief for the state Department of Rail and Public Transportation.

Total ridership on the new train – Amtrak’s second in the Lynchburg-to-Washington corridor – in October amounted to 8,500 passengers.

Fares produced $414,000, which was 87 percent more than expected and almost enough to cover the cost of operating the train. The state has budgeted a monthly subsidy of $242,000 for the train, but only $48,000 of that will be needed for October, according to Page.

Amtrak has extended its reduced fare on the new train through March. Amtrak officials say that reduced fares can actually increase revenues by increasing the number of passengers. October’s results “are a good indicator that we can grow ridership in the territory,” Page said.

Strong ridership was also reported on Amtrak’s other train that covers the same corridor as it heads north to New York City and south to New Orleans.

During October, 3,777 passengers got on or off the trains in Lynchburg. That was a 68 percent increase from the 2,249 who used the train in October of last year.

Page cautioned the transportation board that ridership normally can be lower in the winter months.

“While the first month’s ridership results are promising, they are not typical since this is the first month of service,” he said. A better indicator of performance will come after the train has operated for three full months, Page added.

Nonetheless, the first figures are a tribute to passengers from Lynchburg and surrounding counties who were told at the outset that if they didn’t use the train, it would not survive. They are using it and they are using it in numbers that could reduce the state’s monthly subsidy.

At the same time, their willingness to take the train reduces in a small way congestion and wear and tear on the highways. That’s good not only for the travelers, but also for the highway budget. And these days, that budget can use all the help it can get.

Original article can be found here.

RICHMOND — 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.

“We had a very strong month” on the Lynchburg train, Page told members of the Commonwealth Transportation Board.

“Hopefully the wedding bells will continue to ring as we continue that service,” Page said.

Amtrak has extended its reduced fare, which is usually $38 one way to Washington, through March on the new train. It leaves Lynchburg at 7:38 a.m. and returns at 8:36 p.m. Trains were on time 75 percent of the time in Lynchburg during October, Page said.

Amtrak officials say that reduced fares can actually increase the revenue by attracting more passengers, Page said.

October’s results “are a good indicator that we can grow ridership in the territory,” Page said.

Total ridership on the new train in October totaled 8,500 passengers.

Fares produced $414,000, which was 87 percent more than expected and almost enough to cover the cost of operating the train. Virginia has budgeted a monthly subsidy of $242,000 for the train, but only $48,000 of that will be needed for October, according to figures Page gave the transportation board.

Amtrak also had strong ridership on its other train in the Lynchburg-to-Washington corridor. That train leaves Lynchburg at 6 a.m. and returns about 10 p.m., with fares typically about $78 one way.

During October, 3,777 people got on or off the trains in Lynchburg. That was a 68 percent increase from the 2,249 who used the train in October of last year.

Charlottesville also had a strong increase in ridership.

More than 8,500 people got on or off the two trains in Charlottesville during October. That was about 2,300 more riders than the city had in the same month of 2008.

Page accompanied his report with some cautions.

Ridership normally is lower in the winter months, he said.

“While the first month’s ridership results are promising, they are not typical since this is the first month of service,” he said.

A better indicator of performance will be known after the train has operated for three full months, Page said.

Original article can be found here.

Amtrak is to roll out its new passenger rail service originating in Lynchburg with a stop in Washington on Oct. 1, but the hopes of some supporters already have been sidetracked.

A later-than-expected departure time will make it unlikely that the added service will be a boon for business travelers along the U.S. 29 corridor, an untapped market that rail advocates saw as key to the long-term viability of the three-year pilot run.

Virginia put $43 million into infrastructure upgrades along the rail corridor and committed $10.6 million to the pilot operation. Somewhere between planning and execution, though, Amtrak switched its focus from commuters to tourists.

In March, Amtrak announced the departure time from Lynchburg will be 7:43 a.m., with arrival in Washington at 11:20 a.m. — late for people planning a full business day in the capital and wanting to avoid the expense of an overnight stay. Originally, the train was scheduled to leave Lynchburg at 5:05 a.m. and arrive in D.C. at 8:40 a.m.

Why the switcheroo?

Amtrak reportedly found that its customers along the corridor were tourists more interested in reliable service to New York and other points north than early service to D.C.

That’ll be nicer for Roanokers, who won’t have to rise in the dead of night to get to Lynchburg before dawn.

The revised schedule dismisses the potential for a new customer base, though. And it ignores the larger strategy of Virginia communities along the route, such as Charlottesville, to get business travelers out of their cars and using mass transit, and to nurture spin-off economic growth from D.C.-related contractors.

The pilot’s goal is annual ridership of 59,000. Rail advocates certainly want Amtrak to hit it — as they should. Any service originating in Lynchburg, rather than farther south, gives Virginians better access.

Still, the Roanoke Valley’s parochial interests aside, success will be defined on a narrower field, and that feels like a missed opportunity.

WDBJ
www.WDBJ7.com

Civic leaders on the Lynchburg to D.C. route are working to keep the train on track.

When a second, daily passenger train pulls into Kemper Street station this fall, many are convinced it will have support.

“There already is a lot of excitement building in Lynchburg about this new service,” says Corrin Hoffmann with Lynchburg Regional Chamber, but ridership may be different than some first imagined.

The D.C. arrival time of 11:20 a.m. may keep business travelers from using the train for same-day commutes.

“Scheduling a service like this could be likened to threading a needle in the dark,” says Rex Hammond with the Lynchburg Regional Chamber.

Rex Hammond with Lynchburg’s Regional Chamber says Amtrak had to schedule the train around others that use the same track.

“One train will not serve everyone’s needs,” says Hammond.

Hammond is part of a regional coalition that’s supporting the new service.

They met with Congressman Tom Perriello in Charlottesville Thursday to come up with ways to get the most out of the train.

To help the new train be successful, officials plan to heavily advertise the service to leisure travelers and others who would benefit from the later departure time.

That includes the large number of college students, both in Lynchburg and Charlottesville.

“I think it presents a great opportunity to reach a variety of riders,” says Hoffman.

Low ticket prices could also drive ridership.

A round-trip fare is currently priced at $58.00.

Cheaper, some say, than driving.

Perriello has written a letter to Amtrak, asking them to reconsider their morning schedule.

He says it’s unlikely to change, but doesn’t believe that will doom the new service.

“The most important thing is to get it going, because we know there’s a lot of pent up demand between here and Washington if it’s on a reliable schedule,” says Rep. Tom Perriello/(D) 5th District.

The new train is being funded as a test program for the next three years, enough time, some say, to get riders on board and keep the train running.

For the most part, members of the General Assembly look out for the interests of their districts while at the same time keeping an eye out for the overall best interests of the state. It’s a big job.

Give state Sen. Mark Obenshain an “F” for failing to keep the best interests of the state in mind as he pursues what he considers the best interests of his district. The failure came recently when the Harrisonburg Republican lashed out at the Virginia Department of Transportation for approving $25.2 million for a pilot project to add daily rail passenger service from Lynchburg and Richmond to Washington, D.C., for three years.

The lawmaker is irked that the transportation department wants to close rest stops on Interstate 81 and cut back on snow and ice removal on rural roads in his district to save money. He has started an online public forum to point out wasteful spending by VDOT. At the same time, he has called the new rail passenger service that will be provided by Amtrak beginning in October a “pet project” that reveals misplaced priorities in the state’s transportation funding.

What Obenshain fails to understand is that the new rail passenger service is an important part of the future of mass transportation in Virginia. That failure deepens when you consider the cost of mass transportation versus the cost of building new roads. It costs $20 million to design and build one mile of four-lane highway. For slightly more than that, thousands of people can be transported from Lynchburg and Richmond to Washington for three years.

The new train service, which was approved by the Commonwealth Transportation Board in February, will include an additional Amtrak train between the two cities with stops at localities along the U.S. 29 corridor.

Supporters of the rail service, including Del. Shannon Valentine, D-Lynchburg, have said it is the first piece of a statewide rail system that would be vital to the economies of Central and Southwest Virginia.

Obenshain has turned a blind eye to the potential the rail service holds for a great portion of the state. Instead, he’s written on his forum designed to expose waste at VDOT, “At a time when VDOT says it can’t afford to plow, repair or maintain roads, this is an outrage.”

A better case for outrage could be made by the close-minded approach he has taken to the possibilities of mass transportation for Virginia’s future. Valentine outlined those possibilities when she said that economic challenges should move the state to try out “transportation solutions outside our normal perspective. It gives Virginians an option of knowing there are other solutions to our transportation troubles,” she said.

The Lynchburg lawmaker added that the region needs to tie in to a passenger rail system for economic reasons. “There’s a whole new highway of rail being developed in this country and we need to be in a position to contribute to the 21st-century economy. We need to make sure that we’re connected to this vital economic system that’s being developed.”

Rex Hammond, president of the Lynchburg Regional Chamber of Commerce and a longtime supporter of passenger rail service for this part of the state, said he hopes that Obenshain “looks at the needs of other parts of the state and realizes that our needs are as great.”

Looking at what could be the big picture for transportation in Virginia, Hammond said, “It’s essential that we diversify our transportation portfolio in Virginia. Passenger rail is an excellent way to move forward. It’s not the solution to Virginia’s transportation problem, but it’s part of the solution.”

He’s exactly right. Mass transportation is not a frivolous service. There’s nothing “wasteful” about it, as the Harrisonburg lawmaker would know if he took off his blinders and looked at the best interests of the state’s transportation future.

A who’s-who list of political leaders and executives filled a tent at the Kemper Street Station in Lynchburg on Wednesday to watch Gov. Timothy M. Kaine and Norfolk Southern Chairman Wick Moorman sign Virginia’s first agreement to support passenger trains.

“We are entering a new era” in passenger rail service, Kaine said, adding that $8.4 billion in federal stimulus money will boost rail transit nationwide. 

General Assembly members from Charlottesville, Roanoke and Lynchburg, plus most of Lynchburg’s City Council, and Amtrak executives were among approximately 90 people who gathered on a rainy afternoon for a glimpse of what a new train to Washington will look like.

A shiny brown NS executive coach sat on the tracks where a new daily Amtrak train is to depart each morning starting in October. One Amtrak train per day already serves the route.

“We think the Commonwealth of Virginia sets the pace in terms of all the states we deal with in thinking about rail issues, both freight and passenger, in a very proactive way,” Moorman said.

The memorandum of understanding between NS and the state includes $18.5 million in state funds to operate two daily Amtrak trains for three years. Those funds come from a 2007 state tax dedicated to rail projects, and not federal stimulus dollars.

One train will go from Lynchburg to Washington, and the other from Richmond to Washington. About $1 million in improvements to Kemper Street Station are included.

Del. Shannon Valentine, D-Lynchburg, said in introductory remarks that “we owe so much of this to the vision and leadership of Governor Kaine.”

Kaine complimented Valentine for persistently following the project’s progress with the state Department of Rail and Public Transportation.

Sen. Steve Newman, R-Lynchburg, said Valentine has “never given up” on the new train. 

Newman also thanked state Sen. William Wampler, R-Bristol, for helping bring the train to Lynchburg as the first leg of a statewide passenger service that rail advocates call the TransDominion Express. Its goal is to create passenger service from Bristol to Richmond, via Roanoke and Lynchburg.

Newman worked with Wampler behind the scenes during this year’s General Assembly session to keep the TDX on track.

“We are not going to let that dream die,” Kaine said.

Newman said the train would help Lynchburg economically. “There are companies in this area that will benefit greatly,” including the Areva nuclear company, he said.

Also speaking briefly at the signing were Del. David Toscano, R-Charlottesville, Sen. John Edwards, D-Roanoke, Del. William Fralin, R-Roanoke, and Sen. Creigh Deeds, D-Bath County. Deeds is a candidate for the Democratic nomination for governor.

A group of sign-carrying protesters stood along the station’s railing above the trackside ceremonies with messages urging Kaine to reverse a smoking-in-restaurants ban the General Assembly approved this year.

“Kaine please help small bars,” read a sign carried by Mary Abbott, owner of Mary Jane’s Café, which faces the station on Kemper Street. She’s been there since 1971, Abbott said.

“Ninety-five percent of my customers smoke,” Abbott said, and the smoking ban could force her to close the business.

“Why would you put a small business out of business in this economy?” asked Jerry Golding, a customer in Abbott’s café.

Abbott said she hoped Kaine would amend the bill to exempt small bars.

However, Kaine signed the smoking ban March 9 at a Virginia Beach restaurant event. The ban applies to nearly all restaurants, except for private clubs and restaurants with a designated smoking room that is separated and independently ventilated from non-smoking areas.

Last Thursday was a momentous day for enhanced passenger rail advocates in Virginia: The Commonwealth Transportation Board OK’d spending $25.2 million over the next three years to run two new trains to Washington, D.C.

Under the three-year pilot program, two trains a day will between Lynchburg and Washington and Richmond and Washington, operated under the aegis of Amtrak.

For advocates of enhanced intercity passenger rail service in Central and Southwest Virginia, it was a vote to celebrate.

More than a decade ago, the Lynchburg Regional Chamber of Commerce and its board, led by President Rex Hammond, began pushing for statewide passenger rail service. The TransDominion Express would run from Bristol and Roanoke in the west to Lynchburg, where it would then break off into two routes, one east to Richmond and one north through Charlottesville to Washington. (You can learn more online at http://www.tdxinfo.org.)

Over the years, the effort was joined by a number of local and regional leaders from the political and business realms, Republican and Democrat, all of whom saw the advantages the train could bring.

Currently, one train a day runs from Lynchburg to Washington, the Crescent which originates in New Orleans. That fact alone makes it a crapshoot as to whether or not you’re able to get a ticket. The new train would actually originate in Lynchburg, making the Hill City the starting point for train travel to the nation’s capital and beyond.

Approximately $8 million of the allocation will go to the rehabbing of cars and locomotives for the new Amtrak service; the rest will pay for daily operations.

And let’s be upfront about this new service: It’s an experiment whose success is not guaranteed. The next three years will prove critical for seeing if there’s a sufficient demand for this service.

Of course, there will be the usual voices in our midst who will decry passenger rail as a boondoggle, a waste, an exercise in futility. We can almost hear them now, clearing their voices to take to the airwaves and the public soapboxes and cracking their knuckles as they prepare to fire off angry letters to the editor.

We believe, quite simply, that they’re wrong. Through proper marketing and superlative service, the new passenger rail line could tap into a great well of pent-up demand just below the surface with Lynchburg becoming the hub for an eventual statewide rail network.

And that eventual statewide network could then become part of the larger passenger rail service in the northeast corridor from Washington to New York City, further drawing all of Virginia (not just Northern Virginia) into the nation’s major business circles.

The Lynchburg-to-D.C. and Richmond-to-D.C. legs, though, are just a start, and you have to begin somewhere if you wish to reach a greater longterm goal.

Rev up the engines, and let’s build up a good head of steam, Central Virginia.

A decade ago, who in his right mind would have thought expanded rail service in Central Virginia possible.

Today, the dream of additional passenger service to Washington, D.C., is tantalizingly close to becoming a reality.

The state Department of Rail and Public Transportation has recommended to the Commonwealth Transportation Board that $17 million be allocated over the next three years for a second passenger train to run from Lynchburg, essentially up the U.S. 29 corrider, to Union Station in the nation’s capital. Under the department’s proposal, there would also be an additional train from Richmond to Washington. (The DRPT has already identified a revenue stream to pay for the project, dollars already allocated to the agency.)

According to a state official, this project is the first time Virginia would be supporting inter-city passenger rail.

Currently, only the Amtrak Crescent stops in Lynchburg daily on its way to Washington, but it originates in New Orleans, making getting tickets a veritable roll of the dice.

As envisioined by the DRPT staff, the new train would pull out of the Kemper Street station at 5 a.m. each day, with stops along the U.S. 29 corrider. Talks are under way with Amtrak to provide the train and staff and with Norfolk Southern about use of the tracks, a portion of which would have to be upgraded to allow for higher speeds.

Back in 1999, just about the only organization with the foresight to see the advantages of expanded rail service in Southwest and Central Virginia was the Lynchburg Regional Chamber of Commerce and its president, Rex Hammond. Back then, the grand plan was the establishment of a cross-state rail system stretching from Bristol in far Southwest through Roanoke on its way to Lynchburg, where it would branch off with a line to Washington and a line to Richmond.

The TransDominion Express, as the European-style passenger train service was to be known, was always the ultimate goal of rail-service backers. Backers like Hammond, Del. Shannon Valentine, chambers of commerce and local governments along the proposed routes always knew the odds were long and the timeline even longer, but they kept plugging away, keeping the dream alive.

The importance of a dedicated train line to the Washington region can’t be overstated.

It would be a major economic link to the capital region, allowing businesspeople in Central Virginia to get to and from Northern Virginia without the hassle and headache of slogging through the region’s crowded highways. From Washington, it would a simple matter of a transfer to trains serving the Northeast Corridor to Philadelphia, New York and Boston.

And lest anyone think there’s hardly the business traffic now to justify the second line, just head out to the Kemper Street station early one morning or late one evening and count the local folks on the platforms.

The passenger traffic wouldn’t just be one way, either, from Lynchburg to Washington; it would also be from Washington to Lynchburg.

The goal posts are in sight for rail backers, with only the transportation board’s final approval needed.

Members of the public may comment on the proposal in a variety of ways, including sending statements to drptpr@drpt.virginia.gov .

Should the transportation board gives its final approval to the project and negotiations with Norfolk Southern go well, trains could be rolling out of Lynchburg by the fall.

And that will be a red-letter day for Central Virginia.