| WASHINGTON —Norfolk, Va., will again get passenger rail service in 2012. On Thursday, Amtrak and Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell announced that at least one daily Northeast Corridor train in each direction would be extended from Richmond beginning Dec. 12. Currently, Norfolk and Virginia Beach passengers can use James River Bus Lines Thruway motorcoach connections with two Amtrak round-trips at Newport News, Va. That service will continue. The new trains will give Norfolk residents an additional early morning departure (4:50 a.m. on weekdays and 6:05 a.m. on weekends) over Norfolk Southern rails to a stop at Petersburg, Va., switching to CSX Transportation track there into Richmond. State and federal funds paid for the route upgrades and connection. The morning runs are an extension of Boston-bound trains No. 174 (weekdays) and No. 88 (weekends), which currently originate at Richmond. The extended southbound trains now terminating at Richmond all originate in New York. They are scheduled to arrive in Norfolk at 8:50 p.m. Sunday through Friday (No. 157 on Sunday and No. 125 Monday through Friday) and 11:48 p.m. Saturday (now train No. 87—to become No. 71). In the announcement, Virginia Secretary of Transportation Sean Connaughton noted that the service would be launched "10 months earlier than originally projected." Virginia helped support additional round-trips from Washington to Lynchburg in 2009 and Richmond in 2010. Ridership gains on the trains to Lynchburg have been impressive: up 28.5 percent during fiscal year 2011 and an additional 15.7 percent through July 2012. Amtrak last served the Norfolk with the Mountaineer from Chicago between March 25, 1975, and June 1, 1977. (Reported in TRAINS magazine). (http://forums.dctransit.info/Railroad%20News/News%20Wire/2012/08/State-sponsored%20Norfolk%20Amtrak%20service%20to%20start%20in%20December.aspx#comments) |