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Amtrak debuts new line
Amtrak debuts train through CulpeperDate published: 10/1/2009 BY DONNIE JOHNSTON The Northeast Regional, the first state-supported passenger train in Virginia's history, got off to a rousing start yesterday. Loaded with local and state dignitaries and members of the media, the Amtrak train was met by enthusiastic crowds and brass bands at almost every stop between Washington and Lynchburg. Mayors, state lawmakers, railroad officials and Gov. Tim Kaine made hearty speeches hailing the new service, which will connect Lynchburg with Boston via Washington, as a boon to commerce and tourism. Even former Gov. Linwood Holton, who is Kaine's father-in-law and a former Amtrak board member, stepped up to the podium in Charlottesville and Lynchburg and declared that America and Virginia needed more passenger train service to help alleviate crowded skies and highways. The inaugural run of the Northeast Regional was highly successful--but all of yesterday's hoopla will be in vain if people along the U.S. 29 Corridor don't support the service. The new service, which has been sought by Lynchburg and Charlottesville for almost two decades, will operate on a trial basis for three years. If enough people ride the train, it will continue. If not, the service will go away. Seven-days-week round-trip service officially begins today with trains leaving Lynchburg each morning and returning each evening. There will be stops in Charlottesville, Culpeper, Manassas and Alexandria. Connections can be made in Washington for New York and Boston. In Culpeper yesterday, more than 100 people showed up in the biggest railroad gathering since Democratic vice-presidential candidate Lyndon Johnson made a whistle stop there in October of 1960. The train was 20 minutes late, leaving Mayor Pranas Rimeikis to entertain the crowd with stale train jokes until the Northeast Regional arrived. By that time, the Eastern View High School band, which had already spent its repertoire, had been forced to leave so the students could return to class. Despite the lack of background music, the train arrived to a rousing cheer from the crowd. Del. Ed Scott, R-Culpeper, said the Northeast Regional had become a reality as a result of "delegates working across the aisle." Amtrak President Joe Board-man called passenger rail service "a forgotten piece of the transportation balance" in America, and Virginia Transportation Secretary Pierce Homer said the new route "would bring [Virginians] closer together." While Kaine was the featured speaker during festivities in Charlottesville, it was his father-in-law who stole the show.
Date published: 10/1/2009
Why
(posted by
Tall_Eddie
, Oct. 1, 2009 12:35 pm)
There is not a single public transportation system in the country that is profitable. All of them would cease to exist if govt funding was pulled. Why is Amtrak being held to a different standard? Public transpiration is a necessary part of the transportation infrastructure of this country, and an extremely small percentage is spent on Amtrak when compared to the highway system. How about we wait and see how popular this line is.
Amtrak and taxpayers money
(posted by
rikkirat
, Oct. 1, 2009 10:26 am)
I sure wish that congress would pull the plug on Amtrak and let it fend for itself - same goes for the Post Office. Both are money generating interests - if they can't sustain themselves, BYE!
Oh geez
(posted by
patrick4hp
, Oct. 1, 2009 9:39 am)
Yep, conservatives think government doesn't work,. and the day government tries something new, people like revolution complain that is won't. Sort of like FEMA, another program they fund so they can complain that it doesn't work.
The train was 20 minutes late
(posted by
Adv1sor
, Oct. 1, 2009 9:04 am)
"The train was 20 minutes late"
Says enough for me.
Devil's in the details
(posted by
OnlyLogical
, Oct. 1, 2009 8:31 am)
It may serve 25-30 million passengers annually and may have run for decades, but it has proven unable to be even remotely financially self-sustaining. But then again, we no longer live in a country where anything is expected to pull its own weight
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