State-funded passenger trains to start this fall

In a few months, commuters who choose to ride the rails instead of driving their cars will have another option.

Virginia will use $17.2 million to fund a new weekday train service from Richmond and Lynchburg to Washington.

The Lynchburg train is scheduled to start in October; the Richmond line, Dec. 15.

“Adding these trains is an addition to a larger package of transit services that will provide commuters with more transit options,” said Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation spokeswoman Jennifer Pickett.

The state-funded Richmond-to-Washington train would leave the Staples Mill station at 7 a.m., sandwiched in between two other Amtrak trains that have long been on the agency’s schedule.

By the afternoon, the trains that originated in Virginia would return to Washington, and those riders bound for Richmond could board the train as it departs from Union Station at 3:55 p.m.

Their trip home would take about 2½ hours, Pickett said.

That train is expected to have eight rail cars, making it long enough to accommodate Virginia Railway Express passengers who use the Amtrak ticket “step-up” option, which upgrades a VRE ticket for an extra $10.

“Many commuters already do this because they enjoy the more comfortable seats on the Amtrak trains or like the fact that the Amtrak trains stop at fewer stations on their way into Washington,” Pickett said.

Amtrak trains stop only at a handful of stations that VRE serves, including those in Manassas, Quantico and Woodbridge.

Ticket prices for the new trains are expected to follow the Amtrak pricing schedule.

Amtrak spokeswoman Karina Romero said the new Virginia-funded trains not only provide new options for commuters, but take a necessary step toward growing passenger rail service in the state.
“Amtrak wouldn’t offer the new frequency if there wasn’t a market for it,” she said.

The initiative has been lauded by transit officials because the trains will connect riders to Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor, which extends beyond Washington to New York and Boston.

Romero also added that, at least two days a week, the two existing trains that leave Richmond, at 6 a.m. and 8 a.m., are full of passengers by the time they reach Washington.

The new Richmond and Lynchburg trains are part of a three-year pilot project.

At the end of that time, the state will need a dedicated funding source to maintain the trains, Pickett said.

Last week, Virginia also requested at least $1.5 billion in federal stimulus money for track improvements between Washington and Petersburg.

State rail officials said their intention is to add a third rail line from Washington to Petersburg, which would be dedicated to providing high-speed passenger rail service at speeds of about 90 mph.

Staff writer Uriah A. Kiser can be reached at 703-878-8065.