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  • Hampton Roads/Norfolk/Newport News NE Regional Service

  • Discussion related to Amtrak also known as the National Railroad Passenger Corp.
Discussion related to Amtrak also known as the National Railroad Passenger Corp.

Moderators: GirlOnTheTrain, mtuandrew, Tadman

 #1432594  by Arlington
 
Thanks! 2 daughters and I will be riding train 94 from NPN to BOS/BBY on June 5th and vaguely recall at time of booking (May 15) that 66 (northbound NEC overnight) was being cancelled, which I assumed at the time was a Penn Station thing.
 #1433401  by Arlington
 
Meanwhile, Megabus will be adding service on the southern side of Metro Norfolk (currently only in Hampton, but coming to Virginia Beach and Norfolk.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/201 ... nia-beach/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
 #1433889  by Arlington
 
ThirdRail7 wrote:Keep an eye on the website for service changes next week. A major track project will occur in support of the Acca Bypass. Trains can expect delays operating through the Richmond Terminal district.
Lots of clearing and grading activity between RVM and RVR, is that it?

RVM's redone train shed looks spectacular (and spectacularly empty). It'd have been cool if they had added 2 or 3 tracks to the viaduct and had them dead end at RVM for NEC Services.

Also of.note: CSX has dropped ties along much of the stretch between NPN and WBG and had a decent sized MOW crew at NPN that looked ready to work it's way up the Peninsula. (And saw more MOW southbound at Fredericksburg)

And good to see the 3rd track at(with concrete ties, no less) going in on both sides of Quantico
 #1434160  by ThirdRail7
 
Arlington wrote:
ThirdRail7 wrote:Keep an eye on the website for service changes next week. A major track project will occur in support of the Acca Bypass. Trains can expect delays operating through the Richmond Terminal district.
Lots of clearing and grading activity between RVM and RVR, is that it?

That would be it. They are also installing new switches and adding some additional rail. Twropr should be able to fill in the specific details.
 #1434197  by twropr
 
TK 4 is being extended from Hilliard Rd to North Acca and this includes concrete ties. As a result of the work trains that overnight at Richmond's Staples Mill Rd station could not be vaccinated. One trainset, limited to 7 cars, was stored at CSX's Bryan Park (system m/w repair facility) and other trains cut back to Washington
Andy
 #1434210  by Arlington
 
Everything south of Washington except for the Cardinal, Crescent and the Lynchburger passes through the affected area.

Hilliard Road is immediately South of Staples Mill Road station (RVR,). From the description the work will extend south from Hilliard Road to Acca Yard. So Everything south of RVR uses the 3 miles that are affected, with Neport News /RVM/WBG/NPN service diverging from everything else only south of Acca.
 #1436603  by Literalman
 
I rode the Norfolk train for the first time on June 23. I'd been wondering whether the station ridership numbers for Norfolk include bus passengers to and from Newport News. If so, I thought the bus riders might account for the bulk of the Norfolk riders, given the train's evening arrival and early morning departure. However, when we arrived at Norfolk Friday evening there seemed to be about a hundred people getting off the train. That would more than equal two busloads of passengers arriving from Newport News. Friday evening is probably one of the busier arrivals, but I left on Sunday afternoon, another busy time, via Newport News, and the connecting bus out of Norfolk wasn't full. I realize that this is anecdotal and just one trip, but the train didn't arrive in Norfolk almost empty, as I thought it might.
 #1455368  by mtuandrew
 
Was thinking today while reading the Auto Train thread about the DC-Maryland-Virginia market and realized that despite being a huge market itself, Arlington County has no Amtrak stop.* Has there ever been a movement to have Amtrak stop between ALX and WAS?


* It does have a VRE station at Crystal City, which would also make a lot of sense as a Regional stop with how business travelers shuttle between New York and the Pentagon area.
 #1455376  by Bob Roberts
 
mtuandrew wrote: * It does have a VRE station at Crystal City, which would also make a lot of sense as a Regional stop with how business travelers shuttle between New York and the Pentagon area.
I agree that a Crystal City station could be handy, but the unfortunate requirement of an engine swap at Union station means that it will nearly always be faster to take the Metro to/from Union Station than a one seat ride would be. Having said that, I would much rather board a northbound train in Crystal City than go through the ridiculous boarding process at Union Station.
 #1455378  by Arlington
 
They're working on a new VRE island-platform station that ties better to both Crystal City Metro and National Airport (via a pedestrianway).

For "Pentagon" traffic from Norfolk and Newport News, a Crystal City stop would be ideal (since a lot of DOD offices and contractors are in Crystal City)

For VRE studies, Option 2, the one that can best be connected to a new entrance to the existing Crystal City Metro station, was the one selected in the study.
For CC2DCA walkway, Alternative A (requires downloading) is the one that would connect from the "outer"/southern end of VRE Option 2 directly to DCA.

I'd think this'd be a great Amtrak stop(it is also proposed as a MARC stop, assuming a new Long Bridge) but will have to wait until there's 4 tracks (a new Track 0 on the DCA side is proposed), since it is now too easy to foul the Long Bridge by stopping here.

Concept of pedestrian way from CC2DCA via GreaterGreaterWashington:
Image
 #1455409  by mtuandrew
 
True, northbound traffic between ARL (likely station code for Arlington, VA) and NPN/NFK, RVR/RVM, FBG, and QAN might be a bigger traffic generator than through traffic from north of WAS. I like the looks of that island platform design too. Keep forgetting how close VRE Crystal City is to KDCA, and how much traffic would spring up as an intermodal station - transferring between two of the three area airports would become a snap.
 #1548427  by Jeff Smith
 
Newport News news: DailyPress.com
Long-awaited transportation hub, Amtrak station in Newport News slated to open in two years

NEWPORT NEWS — A hub in Newport News for rail, buses, taxis and airport shuttles has been in the works for a decade, and on Tuesday, officials ceremonially broke ground at the site.

They said travelers could anticipate using the new multimodal center in August of 2022.

The future Newport News Transportation Center is a partnership among the city, the Virginia Department of Transportation and Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation. It’s expected to cost $47 million and will go in undeveloped land off Aspen Meadow Lane, near where railroad tracks that run parallel to Interstate 64 pass under Bland Boulevard.
...
The center will replace the Amtrak station on Warwick Boulevard about 9 miles to the south and to be more accessible and compliant with Americans with Disabilities Act guidelines. Jennifer Mitchell, director of the Department of Rail and Public Transportation, said the existing station in Newport News is undersized and due for replacement. That station saw about 335,000 passengers travel between Newport News and Washington, D.C., accounting for more than a third of passengers on trains within Virginia, she said.

The project also involves some new rail, giving Amtrak its own line to the new station. The passenger company uses CSX commercial lines to get to the existing station, which requires much coordination between the two companies. Mitchell said the dedicated Amtrak line will make scheduling more reliable.
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