Charlotteville?

http://www.ble.org/pr/news/headline.asp?id=17147

"I first discovered how limited rail service was here when my son was in art school in New York." Her son would take Amtrak from New York to Washington. But "getting him from D.C. to Charlottesville was always hard."

Last year, she founded Charlottesville Citizens for Better Rail Alternatives to push for new and improved rail service from Charlottesville to Washington. The former vice mayor of Charlottesville said she is seeking convenient, reliable and affordable service to the home of the University of Virginia.

From a passenger/revenue standpoint, I'm not sure a regular (VRE) rail service between Washington and Charlottesville would work. Without looking it up, I think it is about 130 miles between the 2 places, and much of that area outside the DC suburbs is very rural (and nice to pass through). The University of Virginia is also relatively small, at least compared to the other "state" school, Virginia Tech (located further southwest in Blacksburg). I do think some sort of service on Fridays (towards DC) and Sundays (towards UVA) when school is in session would make sense.

I have no idea about the rail operations on that corridor or whether Charlottesville is tied into any north/south freight mainlines.

"CHIP72"
I have no idea about the rail operations on that corridor or whether Charlottesville is tied into any north/south freight mainlines.

Charlottesville is on the Norfolk Southern route used by the Amtrak Crescent. The same route is used for the VRE Manassas service. The Crescent makes a stop in Charlottesville.

Sand Box John wrote:"CHIP72"
I have no idea about the rail operations on that corridor or whether Charlottesville is tied into any north/south freight mainlines.

Charlottesville is on the Norfolk Southern route used by the Amtrak Crescent. The same route is used for the VRE Manassas service. The Crescent makes a stop in Charlottesville.

Thanks for the info SBJ. I knew the line was a freight rail corridor, but I don't know how heavy the freight rail volume is on that corridor.

Oddly enough, Charlottesville is also on the old C&O main, that passes across the NS at the Amtrak station, swings east and then north connecting to the NS in Gordonsville VA, where the C&O then has rights into Alexandria. The C&O actually passes through the UVA campus, while the NS is a block or two east.

Question to anyone who might know- does the Cardinal still use that route between Charlottesville and Gordonsville?

matthewsaggie wrote:Oddly enough, Charlottesville is also on the old C&O main, that passes across the NS at the Amtrak station, swings east and then north connecting to the NS in Gordonsville VA, where the C&O then has rights into Alexandria. The C&O actually passes through the UVA campus, while the NS is a block or two east.

Question to anyone who might know- does the Cardinal still use that route between Charlottesville and Gordonsville?

Last time I was on it (this summer) it used the C&O. I read somewhere that they were somehow going to make a track connection so the Cardinal could shoot down on the Southern and pick up the C&O in Charlottesville.

At present, the Cardinal still uses the ex-C&O between Orange and Charlottesville.

Money was allocated from the Commonwealth to rehab the existing reverse connection (where the Cardinals would need to make a back-up move), now in use as the present interchange track between the Buckingham Branch RR and NS in Charlottesville. However, negotiations have bogged down between NS and Amtrak as the "new" route between Orange and Charlottesville.

So, for the forseeable future, the Cardinals will still use the ex-C&O east of Charlottesville.

themallard wrote:

matthewsaggie wrote:Oddly enough, Charlottesville is also on the old C&O main, that passes across the NS at the Amtrak station, swings east and then north connecting to the NS in Gordonsville VA, where the C&O then has rights into Alexandria. The C&O actually passes through the UVA campus, while the NS is a block or two east.

Question to anyone who might know- does the Cardinal still use that route between Charlottesville and Gordonsville?

Last time I was on it (this summer) it used the C&O. I read somewhere that they were somehow going to make a track connection so the Cardinal could shoot down on the Southern and pick up the C&O in Charlottesville.