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.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

"Ridership of Amtrak Explodes" Letter to Editor Appears in News and Messenger, January 5, 2010

Here is a reprint of the Letter to Editor that News and Messenger published January 5, 2010:

Ridership of Amtrak Explodes

Thank you for reprinting Ray Reed's Dec. 21 article in the News & Messenger. He was first to publish Amtrak's startling official performance figures following October's first month of the first daily train in the D.C.-Lynchburg Corridor in 30 years, first subsidized train in Virginia and first direct service in 170 years to points North of New York City.

Mr. Reed reported that:

—Actual Ridership (8,500) was double Expected Ridership.

—Ridership on competing Crescent Service remained strong.

—Ridership (all trains) increased 68 percent (highest in Virginia) at the Lynchburg Station and 37 percent (Fourth highest in Virginia) at the Charlottesville Station from Oct 2008.

—Fares produced 87 percent more revenue than expected.

—Virginia's subsidy was only $48,000, rather than the budgeted $242,000.

Virginia published additional ridership details at http://www.AmtrakVirginia.com, showing that Manassas and Culpeper recorded the second highest (54 percent) and third highest (52 percent) increase in ridership in Virginia, between October 2008 and October 2009.

Such breathtaking performance figures suggest that people are drawn to the many benefits of intercity passenger trains: safer, less stressful, more economical for singles and couples, more enjoyable, and more reliable than driving a car on crowded highways of U.S. 29, or Interstates 81, 66 and 95, filled with too many cars and trucks and too many road-raged, cell phone distracted drivers.

Unofficial November and December figures show rides per day reaching 460 or three times the projected 140! On a recent Tuesday, 25 boarded the morning train at Manassas. Any slowdown in ridership will be countered by the increased promotion at stations and Web sites where persons access the beautiful flyer (see above); and by "word of mouth" from satisfied riders.

During three months of operation, Amtrak cannot meet the demand for schedules at Union Station. Amtrak, VRE and Virginia are considering allowing trains to stop at Burke Centre on weekends. Virginia could soon ask Amtrak to estimate the cost of a feeder bus service from Bristol to Lynchburg. Other bus connections are also being considered. Finally, Amtrak will introduce the more convenient, paperless tickets next year.

Based on initial October official figures and later unofficial figures, we should expect a new day of intercity train travel in the D.C.- Manassas-Lynchburg Corridor!

DANIEL PEACOCK

Manassas

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