Rail Transit in Virginia

[calwinston]

Oh their were so many naysayers about Amtrak expanding service to Lynchburg. But they were so wrong when Amtrak announced yesterday the route has surpassed expectations by reaching its projected ridership in 6 months instead of 1 year! This also bodes well for expansion into Roanoke and Norfolk!!!

http://www2.newsadva...x_months/27166/

http://voices.washin...xceeds_tar.html

[calwinston]

Heres a more in depth story of rail service from Lynchburg to the Northeast and how well its doing!

http://www.roanoke.com/columnists/casey/wb/252647

[calwinston]

Heres a more in depth story of rail service from Lynchburg to the Northeast and how well its doing!

http://www.roanoke.c...casey/wb/252647

'With air fares sky high and driving no bargain, rail rate is good'

http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/252649

[calwinston]

At a cost of $77 million VRE adding 19 locomotives to its existing fleet for future expansion

Virginia Railway Express added the first of 19 new locomotives to its fleet Monday -- a move designed to improve the efficiency of the system and pave the way for future expansions, VRE officials said.

"In the middle of the worst economy we've seen, we were able to budget for new locomotives," said Paul Milde, chairman of the VRE operations board. "I am confident that when these new locomotives are all put into service that VRE will be better positioned to ease congestion, decrease pollution and improve the quality of life for our riders and the region."

VRE officials said the new units will allow for adding capacity in the future, as they can carry up to 10 cars instead of six. VRE is the 10th-largest commuter rail system in the nation, with average daily ridership of more than 17,000.

http://www.washingto...0080306678.html

[ronsmytheiii]

A good overview of the Heartland Corridor Project from Norfolk Southern that was recently completed:

And another for the Crescent Corridor, I hope they can get all of those trucks off the road, I-81 has been a war zone lately:

[ronsmytheiii]

Lastly and in great news, NS will be reinstating their Steam program!

“21st Century Steam” would highlight milestones in rail history and provide an opportunity for audiences to learn about today’s safe and service-oriented freight railroads. The program would feature three venerable coal-powered steam locomotives:

• Southern Railway 4501: Built in 1911 by Baldwin Locomotive Works, 4501 served Southern Railway in freight service in Tennessee, Virginia, Kentucky, and Indiana, before being sold to a short line railroad. No. 4501 was retired from revenue service in 1963 and enjoyed a second career in the excursion program operated by Southern Railway and Norfolk Southern from 1966 until 1994. This Ms (Mikado superheated) Class locomotive has 63-inch driving wheels.
• Southern Railway 630: Built in 1904 at the Richmond, Va., works of American Locomotive Company, this Consolidation-type locomotive has traveled throughout the Southeast, often in the company of 4501 and sister locomotive 722. An extensive six-year rehabilitation to Federal Railroad Administration standards is being completed at TVRM’s Soule Shops complex in Chattanooga.
• Tennessee Valley Railroad 610: Built in 1952 by Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton for the U.S. Army, 610 has been the mainstay of TVRM steam operations since 1990. It also appeared on several Norfolk Southern steam excursions from 1990 to 1993. No. 610, also a Consolidation type, was one of the last steam locomotives built in the U.S.

http://www.nscorp.co...ails-again.html

Great news, but we really need to see N&W 611 and N&W 1218 back on the tracks!