(The following appeared on the News Advance website on June 18, 2010.)
LYNCHBURG, Va. — The Lynchburg route that Amtrak started in October continued to produce far more riders than expected in April, according to figures from the state Department of Rail and Public Transportation.
Ridership, and revenue, have been higher than expected during each of the seven months reported so far.
Total Lynchburg-route ridership credited to Virginia in April was 11,973 passengers, according to the DRPT’s monthly report, announced this week. When Lynchburg’s second daily train started operations in October, the monthly target was 4,200 passengers and the revenue target was $212,000.
The passenger goal was exceeded by 185 percent, and April revenue of almost $596,000 was 181 percent above goal, said Thelma Drake, director of DRPT.