(The following story by Althea Fung appeared on the Richmond Times-Dispatch website on July 21, 2010.)
ABOARD TRAIN 174 — Trying to avoid traffic on Interstate 95? Take the train.
That became a little easier yesterday after Amtrak added another round-trip option to its service between Richmond and Washington.
The state-supported addition to Amtrak’s Northeast Regional Service gives Richmond-area train travelers five morning departures to Washington and points north and six returning departures from Washington in the afternoon and evening.
“It’s an hour’s extra sleep,” National Guard Col. Fred Bolton of Hanover County said of the new 7:13 a.m. departure from Ashland, nestled between existing 6:13 a.m. and 8:13 a.m. departures.
Bolton, who lives in King’s Charter but was called to active duty in Northern Virginia a year ago, said he usually commutes either by Amtrak or by Virginia Railway Express out of Fredericksburg, depending on his work schedule.
“Having more options is always good,” he said.
That is just what Virginia’s Department of Rail and Public Transportation wanted to offer with its three-year, $25.2 million pilot project to run two additional passenger trains to Washington — a new route from Lynchburg that started in October and the new train from Richmond’s Staples Mill Station that launched yesterday.
Amtrak now offers trains leaving Staples Mill for Washington at 5:09 a.m., 6 a.m., 7 a.m., 8 a.m. and 11:04 a.m.
“Just think of what I-95 would look like in an hour,” Thelma Drake, director of the Department of Rail and Public Transportation, said at the launch of the 7 a.m. service yesterday. “Who wants to drive to D.C. in the summer? You don’t want to be stuck behind a wheel. On the train you can read or do work.”
The 7 a.m. train takes about 2½ hours to arrive in Washington. The Department of Rail and Public Transportation is working to upgrade the tracks with an ultimate goal of trains traveling 90 mph that can make the trip in 90 minutes.
“If it was high-speed rail, I could commute,” said Peter Salamon of Chesterfield County, who was boarding the train in Ashland yesterday.
Salamon, a laid-off DuPont worker, was just hired by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. He was headed yesterday to Alexandria to look for an apartment where he can walk to work and to the train station — and leave the car in Chesterfield.
“The train would be my primary method of coming home on weekends,” he said.
Passengers on Train 174 yesterday said faster trains would be appreciated.
“It would extend the amount of time when we’re in D.C. to do business,” said Melissa Laughon, a consultant for a marketing and management company who travels to Washington frequently for her job.
The additional early-morning service is also beneficial to leisure travelers.
Nadine Mask of Philadelphia missed the 6 a.m. train out of Staples Mill and got on the new 7 a.m. train. After visiting family in Richmond with her grandson, Mask said she was happy she didn’t have to wait two hours for the next train.
“I want to keep coming to visit. If the train comes quick, we can visit more often,” she said.
The Virginia Tourism Corp. is hoping the additional train service will encourage tourists to visit more often. The tourism agency is offering travel packages that include lodging and access to local activities across the state.
Drake said ridership between Lynchburg and Washington has been double what was projected and that the revenue is covering all expenses. The state hopes to extend the Richmond service to Norfolk by 2013.
The Richmond-originating trains continue up the Northeast corridor to Boston. Amtrak fares vary with market demand, but a typical one-way fare between Staples Mill and Washington is $23 and between Staples Mill and Philadelphia is $57.