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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.

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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.