Biography

I grew up in Pine Ridge, about one mile from the Fairfax Hospital, in Fairfax County, Virginia. In about 1952, I remember traveling on the Washington and Old Dominion (W&OD) Railroad (the "Virginia Creeper") from Falls Church to Roslyn. This train ran from Bluemont to Roslyn and Alexandria, VA, with a branch to Great Falls, which ceased operations earlier. I graduated from Fairfax High School (1963), the College of William and Mary, BS, Biology (1968) and the University of Connecticut, MS, Zoology (1974).
I spent a year (1966-1967) working for the Smithsonian Institution in Venezuela collecting mammals and parasites. I was in the US Army (1969-1971) and spent a year in Japan, outside Toyko. That was first experience with a well run train system and with a ride on their Bullet Train, which traveled at 130 mph at the time. I have worked for the Office of Pesticide Programs at the Environmental Protection Agency for 36 years (1973 to 2009). During that period, I have ridden the Virginia Railway Express (VRE), a Washington/Virginia commuter rail system since its beginning in 1992. Now I am paying more interest in Amtrak and want to stimulate ridership and new service, especially in Virginia. I am a member of the Virginia Association of Railway Patrons (VARP), www.varprail.org, which has been promoting passenger rail in the state for 30 years and a member of Cvillerail, www.Cvillerail.org, which was major reason for the establishment of the new Amtrak Train to Lynchburg, the subject of this blog.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

New Riders Guide for Amtrak Lynchburg Train and Stations for Carpooling Virginia Tech and Radford Students


  • The new Amtrak Train, shown above at Lynchburg , began service October 1, 2009, stopping at the cities or locations listed below and also serving nearby areas.
  • These stops and nearby areas are Virginia and Non-Virginia locations where very high concentrations of Virginia Tech and Radford students live.

Amtrak Stops and Nearby Areas Served

A. Virginia Locations

Charlottesville: Albemarle Co
Culpeper: Stafford Co, Fauquier Co, Fredericksburg
Manassas: Fauquier Co, Pr William Co, Loudoun Co, Leesburg
Burke Centre: Fairfax Co, Fairfax City, Loudoun Co
Alexandria: Arlington Co, Nat Airport (Metro), Dulles Airport (Metro, 5A Bus)

B. Selected, Non-Virginia Locations

DC: Arlington Co, Montgomery Co, Prince George's Co
New Carrollton, MD: Montgomery Co, Prince George's Co
BWI Airport: Southern Suburban Baltimore
Baltimore, MD: Greater Baltimore
Wilmington, DE: Greater Wilmington
Philadelphia, PA: Greater Philadelphia
Newark, NJ: Greater Newark
New York, NY: Greater New York, Southern Connecticut, Long Island
New Haven, CT: Greater New Haven
Hartford, CT: Greater Hartford, U of Connecticut
Springfield, MA: Greater Springfield
Providence, RI: Greater Providence
Boston, MA: Greater Boston


The new Amtrak train is a great, cost effective option for VT & Radford students who wish to carpool to Amtrak's Lynchburg Kemper Street Station. However, because very few students will have used Amtrak and the Lynchburg Train Station previously, I have posted this “New Riders Guide” to make their initial trip an enjoyable one:


New Riders Guide for Amtrak Lynchburg Train and Stations

Amtrak Lynchburg Train

Departure/Arrival Times

Leave: 7:38AM (M-F), Train 176; 9:59AM (Sat, Sun), Train 156

Arrive: 8:36PM (M-F), Train 171; 7:39PM (Sat), Train 147); 8:29PM (Sun), Train 145

Travel Times

Charlottesville (1hr,15min); Culpeper (2hr,6min); Manassas (2hr,40min); Burke Centre (2hr,57min); Alexandria (3hr,22min); and DC (3hr,35).

Schedule

Go to www.amtrak.com, “Timetables”, “Northeast, Mid-Atlantic & Virginia Service”.

Reservations

All seats reserved. Reserve at www.amtrak.com or 1-800-USA-Rail.

Cheapest Tickets: 14 Day/Student Advantage

Payment Options

  1. Pay at time of reservation, receive bar coded receipt, scan at “Quik-Trak” & print.
  2. Do not pay at time of reservation but receive Reservation No., and pay with credit card (“Quik-Trak” machine or station agent) or cash (station agent).

Lynchburg Station

Address: 825 Kemper Street, Lynchburg, VA 24501 Tel: 434-847-8247

On Day of Travel

Check if train is on-time (1-800-USA-Rail or www.amtrak.com).

Departure from VT (First Time)

Leave 2hr, 45 Minutes prior to departure to allow time to find station, park, and pick up ticket (at window or Quik-Trak Machine).

Other Stations

On Day of Return

From Burke Centre, Manassas, or Culpeper (no Amtrak agent or Quik-Trak machine), show conductor 1) ticket or 2) Reservation No. & pay with credit card or cash.

Best Route from VT to Lynchburg Train Station

  1. Take Rt 460 to I-81 (Exit 118) and go North on I-81 to Exit 150 (Alt Rt 220).
  2. South on Rt 220 to Bonsack (Rt 460) and East on Rt 460 (Lynchburg Turnpike) to Bus 460 (Timberlake Road).
  3. North on Bus 460 (Timberland Road), continuing on Fort Ave to Kemper St.
  4. Left on Kemper St and park in Free Long Term Parking (24 spaces) on right or park on street (7 spaces, each side of Kemper St). Short walk to Station.

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