(The following article by Chip Jones was posted on the Richmond Times-Dispatch website on November 3.)
ASHLAND, Va. — Ashlanders spoke and Amtrak listened.
Last week, the passenger railroad restored morning and afternoon stops at the town’s historic train station. This came after a six-monthlong hiatus that eliminated morning train service from Washington to Ashland.
The cancellation alarmed everyone from the Town Council to officials at Randolph-Macon College, who use the D.C. to Ashland train service as a selling point to prospective students.
It also bothered rail supporters who want the option of riding a morning train to Main Street Station when it finally reopens in Richmond.
Before we tell the rest of the Ashland story, here’s a news flash on the Main Street opening:
Amtrak spokesman Dan Stessel said a grand opening ceremony (invitation only, by the way) is set for Dec. 17, with trains running shortly after that.
Dec. 17, Stessel said, “is the firmest date I’ve ever seen for this.”
The opening has been delayed for months.
Amtrak plans eastbound trains to stop at 10:37 a.m. and 5:12 p.m. at Main Street, with northbound stops planned for 10:46 a.m. and 4:25 p.m.
Viktoria Badger, Richmond’s principal planner, said she could “not set the date at this time” for the restoration of train service. “We anticipate setting the date very soon.”
The city awaits a certificate of occupancy on the 102-year-old building which has undergone a $51.6 million restoration since late 2000.
Now back to Ashland.
The cancellation of the morning train from Washington was the result of a scheduling snafu when Amtrak tweaked service between Washington and Richmond.
When the oversight was discovered, spokesman Stessel said, “We sought to keep the Ashland stop in there.”
However, the tracks’ owner, freight rail giant CSX Corp., already had taken the morning stop out of its schedule. CSX, which formerly had its headquarters in Richmond, required a review of the situation, according to Stessel.
Eventually, CSX agreed to put Ashland’s morning service back in the mix.
“We made the request for the schedule change and got it back in,” Stessel said.
Ashland Mayor Angela L. LaCombe said, “We’re happy to have it back on. Unfortunately, we thought Main Street Station would be open.”
Local rail booster John Newell praised Amtrak’s president, David Gunn, who all along had promised to correct the goof.
“There were several meetings between the town and high-level officials with Amtrak who were very cooperative in restoring this service,” Newland said.
Let’s hope things don’t get this screwy when Main Street Station reopens.
Funding tied up
Speaking of Amtrak, its funding remains tied up in Congress. On Oct. 27, The New York Times reported the Senate approved a $1.34 billion subsidy for Amtrak for the fiscal year that started Oct. 1.
This set up a fight with the House, which approved a $900 million bill and has been pushing for structural changes at the financially strapped railroad.
Amtrak is seeking $1.8 billion. The Senate’s lower sum “leaves us at great risk of reliability,” said the railroad’s president, Gunn.
But the rail chief said he could keep operating with the $1.34 billion appropriation “and hopefully not worsen the amount of deferred maintenance.”
The Senate’s version went to a conference committee. Gunn has said the $900 million amount – favored by the Bush administration – would force Amtrak to shut down next year.