Lynchburg VA NE Regional (ext. to Roanoke and Bristol)

Virginia is laying out out $4b that's $500 per inhabitant (8m).
The $219m being spent to Chris-Black (I love that) "covers" 438,000 people...pretty close to the population of Virginia southwest of I-81 from Montgomery COunty VA (the Merrimac terminus) (600k, technically, so, yes, get them some buses)

And, again, if we're talking "virginia needs to show the Blue Ridge more love" I'd say that that's better done on daily (or even twice-daily) service on the BB and some more buses on I-81

And love this regional breakdown from UVA in population by region
2.4m Northern
1.7m Hampton Roads
1.2m Richmond
0.8m Shenandoah/Blue Ridge Valley (Virginia Breeze Route)
0.6m Southwest (VPI/Radford are at the eastern tip of this region)
0.5m Southside (central-NC border)
0.6m Central (the CVS-Lynchburger Route)
0.1m Eastern



I just have to believe that the politics and the equities mean that to the extent that there's another several hundred million for track, stations, layovers and payoffs to NS, that that's going to be spent for the next 20 years in places like Norfolk, the Ric-Raleigh HSR, and the Buckingham branch

Mr. Arlington, the map you located and shared shows the problem for those advocating proceeding West from wherever the Commonwealth has in mind to place the station serving 34,683 students at VPI.

Again let me reiterate, Tennessee has zilch interest in getting into the intercity passenger train business (how that commuter train into Nashville serving "where the people ain't" hangs on is a mystery to me) , what's the point for train loving Virginia to think West of their last population center?

May as well revive the Abington Branch that was featured in a '58 TRAINS article, where DPM sent Phil Hastings down to do some shooting. I think that would be just as cost effective.

So VA should just do what they can (if they apparently have funding to buy the VGN West of Roanoke from Topper, they must have some loot to play with) to serve those - much greater %tge carless then "back in my day" - who want a ride home on something other than Megabus (a girl I know - neighbor's daughter - rode such upper level here to Columbia MO - and got badly carsick. She's now in NY - and a good Amtrak patron for both family in Lancaster and occasional business in Wash).

Bristol is a strange place for measuring MSA population. Johnson City TN and Elizabethton TN should fall in the the MSA even though they are just out of it down town to downtown.

Driving to Bristol RR station is very problematic.
1. Gate City VA and Kingsport TN except at very far east of those towns is I-26 - I-81- US 11W-State Street.
2. Johnson City depending on location either I-26 - I-81 then as above #1 or US-11E to State street..
3. Elizabethton TN US19E US-11E and as above.
4. Mountain City TN actually closer than any of the above but US-421 a very bad road not very traveled..
5. All the towns in TN further SW of Bristol paralleling NS (SOU) drive to I-81 then as above.

So with almost all locations getting NE of Bristol is I-81 instead of traveling to Bristol RR station which would add at least an hour to train travel. ( example to Roanoke = 5"40. So with that metric the potential passengers are just from Bristol . With most of the noted cities and others all way to Knoxville SW of Bristol already drive to I-81 add average of just 40 minutes of travel to Virginia destinations except just around Bristol would seem to attract very few of the TN persons to ride from Bristol.

BTW Having lived there I have driven all these routes many times so I speak from some experience. I do recognize that I-81 is a bear to travel with all the tractor trailers that run on I-81. US-11E and US-11W are no picnic which is reason that I route most of this travel onto I-81.

I do support Amtrak very much but Bristol has too much high hanging fruit to be a real destination. Just let Virginia do what is has done so far to continue doing that. NOW if a new HSR track could be built Roanoke to Knoxville that will be a game changer.

VADRPT has announced the Highlands Rhythm a new bus timed do Bristol-DC 11am to 6pm and to do DC-Bristol 1pm to 8pm. At 7 hours, there was never going to be day-tripping, but it beats any possible train schedule Bristol-DC by between 40 minutes to more than an hour. I think it will be the permanent solution budget-wise, right-of-way-wise, and politically for service south of the future NRV station. (Except that it skips Front Royal, which I'd've used), It also delivers a twice-daily pattern to the college towns of the Valley Flyer (the original bus that runs from VaTech up I-81 to DC).

1. On topic post. So there are two trains a day from Washington to Roanoke, and two the other way. The morning train out of DC does not stop at Burke Center; the afternoon train does. The morning train from Roanoke stops at Burke Center; the afternoon train does not. I assume the morning train from DC does not stop because 1) Burke Center has only one platform and 2) there are no convenient crossovers on either side of the station; 3) as a result, having the morning train to Roanoke stop at Burke Center might interfere with morning VRE commuter parade. Not sure about the afternoon train out of Roanoke; it would arrive outside the commute window. Are there plans for another platform at Burke or for putting in crossovers? Having both trains stop at BCV in both directions would make the service more attractive to those of us in southern Fairfax County.

2. Mini-rant. These and other trains that continue south of Washington need names! It's ridiculous that they're all still called Northeast Regionals. People will remember them better. I'd suggest (stealing an idea from CB&Q and MILW) the Morning Blue Ridge and the Afternoon Blue Ridge.

3. Observation. I've just started getting active here again after having mostly been away for a few years. It's a little startling to see that many once-busy threads have gone quiet and that many familiar voices have fallen silent. I'm sure for many (like me) other aspects of life became busier, but I also fear that the pandemic and other ailments may have taken some of this community. Just a little sad and sobering.

Station Aficionado wrote: ↑Fri Dec 02, 2022 3:45 pm These and other trains that continue south of Washington need names! It's ridiculous that they're all still called Northeast Regionals. People will remember them better. I'd suggest (stealing an idea from CB&Q and MILW) the Morning Blue Ridge and the Afternoon Blue Ridge.

No they don't, Mr. Aficionado.

Amtrak assigns "Fleet Names" to their Corridor services; and that is what they and their state partners, other than Illinois and Michigan, are attempting to do here.

Airlines, although they once did, no longer assign names to flights.

Oh, and Blue Ridge was once the name assigned to that ridiculous Wash-Parkersburg train; but never mind that was imposed on Amtrak by the man who saved the railroad industry - Rep. Harley Staggers D-WV.

Just getting Roanoke was a huge win. I consider the New River Valley extension to be an unexpected bonus!

Station Aficionado wrote: ↑Fri Dec 02, 2022 3:45 pm 2. Mini-rant. These and other trains that continue south of Washington need names! It's ridiculous that they're all still called Northeast Regionals. People will remember them better. I'd suggest (stealing an idea from CB&Q and MILW) the Morning Blue Ridge and the Afternoon Blue Ridge.

These same trains also extend north and east of New York City as well. Would Blue Ridge be an appropriate train name heading for Springfield or Boston MA? I do not think so. They are Northeast Regionals because that is what they were before being extended further south into Virginia. Virginia is only obligated to pay the loses to run the trains south of Union Station in DC. Amtrak assumes the rest of the risks everywhere else these trains run.

electricron wrote: ↑Fri Dec 09, 2022 10:47 am Would Blue Ridge be an appropriate train name heading for Springfield or Boston MA?

It would be as appropriate as calling a train headed to Washington, DC "Vermonter".

https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/city-le ... outes/amp/

City leaders say Bristol, Va. train station ready for passenger routes
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President of the Bristol Train Station Foundation Dan Bieger said the station is ready to house whatever is needed.

“All we really need is whatever modifications Amtrak would ask for, like a platform,” said Bieger. “In some places, all they have is a platform and they don’t have a train station, so we feel like we are ready and raring to go.”

The train station saw renovations in previous years, which Bieger said have made it suitable to resume rail service.
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SOU RR actually owned about 800 feet of the mainline from the state line into Virginia. N&W the continued onward to the north. The station tracks (2) were on a heading of about 200 degrees and curved to the east for the SOU Tennessee tracks be on a 150 degree heading. When SOU RR installed welded rail, it eased the curve to the east moving away from the old passenger platform and canopy. That will require city to build an extension of the platform to meet up with the moved main track. BTW there is another main track east parallel to the west main track.

If Amtrak ever starts, there is a problem in Bristol with no in service wyes. At one time there were 4 nearby wyes. Once there was a station track wye switch (now removed) starting to about 800 feet north of the state line also owned by SOU connecting to SOU main line. N&W track north of that switch. That wye leg (removed) ended at the west switch embedded into Scott street. + now that SOU tail track is excepted track. SOU RR actually owned both SW & NW legs of the wye. NW leg leads to the N&W main track further north. That leg is in service for access to another SOU yard. However, Amtrak would want both legs and tail refurbished probably to class 2 tracks. Note tail and some of both legs are embedded in Scott street and not protected by and crossing signals.

If Amtrak returned to Bristol with a through service from the NEC to (say) Knoxville, they would need a wye there, not in Bristol. If they used their Airo trainsets (I doubt they would be returning to Bristol before those are in use), they won't need to turn the train.

State of Va probably will try to initiate service to Bristol. However, the rail times on N&W were just under 4 hours for ~~ 140 rail miles. Whereas I-81 is less than 2 hours. N&W in the 1950s had 4 passenger round trips and a lot of local and coal freight. As well it had installed DC circuit CTC on the whole line. As well there many short sidings for opposite direction trains to pass. The line ROA - Bristol is very curvy which limits speeds. All valleys and hills caused by glaciers .

Tennessee DOT is not interested at all for Bristol- Knoxville. Had 4 RTs as well. It was almost 3hr 15 minutes to 4 hours rail 130.7 miles. Over 2 hours to go the first 75 miles south west of Bristol. Same hill and dale as N&W. Both SOU and N&W routes slower than Ethan Allen. However, some speed ups might be able as all 1950 trains were very heavy on mail carried. I saw as many a 8 storage mail cars on each train. Usually only 2 sometimes 3 coaches on each train. More sleepers as many as 20 on all trains every day. That includes 6 O&Ds 3 in each direction.

Corridor ID: WCYB.com

$500K awarded for proposed plan to bring Amtrak service to Bristol



WASHINGTON (WCYB) — A $500,000 grant has been awarded for a proposed plan that would bring Amtrak service to Bristol.
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https://virginiamercury.com/2024/08/27/ ... er-valley/

Virginia reaches new deal with Norfolk Southern to extend passenger rail to the New River Valley


The Virginia Passenger Rail Authority has reached a new deal with Norfolk Southern to extend its state-supported Amtrak service to the New River Valley by 2028, while avoiding a costly tunnel upgrade and making it easier to eventually bring service to Bristol.

Under the new agreement, which the VPRA’s board of directors approved by a unanimous vote at its meeting in Richmond Tuesday, the state will also purchase Norfolk Southern’s Manassas Line and gain access to the company’s main line, also dubbed the N-Line — a move that is expected to increase passenger rail options for thousands of Virginians.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin commended the board for voting to advance “a better, faster, and cheaper solution to bring passenger rail back to a historic location in the New River Valley” while also providing opportunities to bolster service in Northern Virginia.
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