Amtrak began serving Norfolk, Va., in December 2012.
Fred W. Frailey
NORFOLK, Va. – Amtrak will soon offer two weekday departures from Norfolk. Tickets are now available to purchase for travel to and from the waterfront city beginning on March 4.
The first Northeast Regional departs Norfolk at 6:15 a.m. every weekday and arrives in Washington at 10:45 a.m. Once service begins on March 4, a second Amtrak Northeast Regional will depart Norfolk at 9 a.m. every weekday and arrive in Washington at 1:27 p.m.
Southbound, the first train departs Washington at 2:30 p.m., arriving Norfolk at 7:04 p.m. The second train departs Washington at 5:50 p.m., arriving Norfolk at 10:31 p.m.
The Norfolk station is also a stop for the Thruway bus connection for service to the Amtrak station in Newport News, Va.
Amtrak and the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation partner to provide passenger rail service to Richmond, Lynchburg, and Roanoke. Amtrak service returned to Norfolk in 2012.
–From an Amtrak press release
Having grown up in west Tennessee, I recall only one train that was a short-haul/corridor train like those radiating out of Chicago – NC&StL CITY OF MEMPHIS. It went to Nashville in the morning and returned to Memphis in the evening. All other trains went through Tennessee cities going to other places. All but one of Tennessee’s former passenger train routes – Chattanooga to Memphis on the Southern Railway – is paralleled by interstate highway. Also Nashville is served by Southwest Airlines. Not much potential to me.
There is a pattern here and not only Amtrak but on public transit as well. Simply increase service on one line or area while decreasing or eliminating service on another. Since Amtrak is always short on money and equipment and needs to find new ways and sources of revenue to keep operating and find new markets, its simple economics: Increase service where there is aneed or where the people or advocacy groups talk up the loudest.
Norfolk and the state of Virgina really pushed hard and spoke up and Amtrak got the message. Now when the interest and novelty of increased train service cools or die off then Amtrak will decrease or eliminate service to Norfolk and try another area or market and using the same equipment taken off the Norfolk trains, All transportation sustems do this including the airlines. Its the old method of supply and demand and going where the money is and there is a need and who can push and shout the hardest. People of Nashville if you want Amtrak or some form of passenger train service, you must get organized and really campaign andhve advocacy groups push for the return of train service and really support and ride the train. A train will only run if people ride it daily and support the service. Otherwise if it don’t pay the plug gets pulled. Of course the idea of putting all your eggsin one basket like Amtrak diverting all its resources to the Northeast while trying its hardest to get rid of the rest of its nationwide network isn’t exactly sound business and if allowed to happen and proceed its Northeast Corridor business will falter too. Does a person cut off one arm or leg or ear thinking they can manage with the remaining one? Maybe but it points to impairment immobility and eventual disability So too with Amtrak and their so called plan to divert all resources to just the Northeast Corridor
The difference is Norfolk has strong state support and Nashville does not. There is a long term partnership with the state of Virginia.
And how does that strong state support come about? Well Virginia also has a strong advocacy organization. And service tends to inspire more service.
Nashville is among “hoppin,” prospering cities that does not have Amtrak service or has lousy Amtrak service. Think Columbus. Or how about 1 train every other day in Tuscon and no direct service to Phoenix. Las Vegas anyone? This is partly lack of vision on Amtrak’s part but let’s no forget that Ohio turned away an Amtrak plan and the money and Tennessee is a very car/truck obsessed state.
As a frequent visitor to Nashville, I have tried gaming in my mind what Amtrak train could go where on what schedule. All I get is blanks. Two things I’ve posted before about Nashville (1) For such a highly populated city, basically it’s in the middle of nowhere, meaning any Amtrak train would call at night (2) Nashville’s rail system is a welded-rail version of the railroads Braxton Bragg and William S. Rosecrans fought over in the winter of 1862-1863.
Hey, naysayers – what do you expect? This is Massachusetts, aka Messachusetts, Taxachusetts, Liberalchusetts, Marxachusetts, etc. We are a one-party state loaded with liberal/leftists. One of our US senators is Ed Markey, he who is full of leftist malarkey, co-author of last week’s Green New Deal. Boston Mayah Mahty Walsh is on the left, so are most of the university faculties, such as Boston Univ. These folks are “nanny-staters” who would fit right in at the European Union. It’s no surprise that they want us all riding trains, transit and light-rail. But they are not railfans, and wouldn’t know a caboose from a parlor car.
Jim, the same could be said for Louisville. However Louisville could have a better chance to get rail service; the difference in mileage from Chicago to Louisville vice Chicago to Centralia is 30 miles (Chicago-Louisville 300 vice Chicago-Centralia 270). Of course, the Chicago-Centralia service predates Amtrak and is intrastate – Illinois. Sorry, Jim; unless Tennessee wants to fund a Memphis-Nashville, Nashville-Chattanooga, and/or Memphis-Nashville-Chattanooga service(s), passenger trains aren’t in Nashville’s near future.
Al Dicenso, just today, NARP posted that the 1st new Viewliner II sleeper is supposed to be delivered next week. That information came from an Amtrak PR statement. Who knows, might even happen.
Heres a headline: Amtrak fails to restore service to Nashville in 40 years.
WHAT Viewliner II sleepers? So far there are none, and none are in sight.
Would be interesting to re-equip 65-66-67 with one of the new Viewliner II sleepers and rearrange service south of Richmond to bring a new “Night Owl” to Norfolk instead of Newport News.
Some population info:
Norfolk (242,070) + Virginia Beach (454,846) + Petersburg (31,396) = 728,312
Newport News = 181,345
BTW – Going via Norfolk will save about an hour travel time to/from Virginia Beach (via a much shorter bus connection).
I think we’re starting to see a pattern for Amtrak under its new president: favor the East Coast and let the rest of the country go to…wherever….this announcement coming after last week’s info about Amtrak through service on Long Island. I have nothing against that part of the country (my sister, youngest son, youngest grandkid live there), but there are a few of us who like to ride trains in other places too!
Ron, Great post. I agree 100%, as one raised on a street called Nawfik Place in Sharon, a town in Nawfik County,Taxachusetts.
Are you sure you have the right state? There is a town called Nawfik in Nawfik County, Taxachusetts, but it’s not even the county seat. Not much of a place, doesn’t even have its own high school, the kids go to King Philip in Wrentham. But it does brag one heckuva state prison, MCI Nawfik.
Anyway, Ron, I think the article (above) is about Norfolk, Virginia. Even so, no argument as to your post about Taxachusetts, I think it’s spot on.
Sure hope you feel better, you could move somewhere else, its a big country