Channel 10 news report: https://www.wsls.com/news/virginia/roanoke/first-amtrak-train-leaves-downtown-roanoke-platform
The storm has no effect on service to Roanoke yesterday, as service didn't start until today. 171 went to Lynchburg yesterday and deadheaded to Roanoke.This morning I appear to be on the first 171 Roanoker due to storm cancellation yesterday. Rosey today though.
Hopefully TN will step uto the plate to fund such, once Virginia is done with extending it to Bristol.New service is always great news but what is sad is that you have two beautiful little used stations by the tracks in Roanoke and none are Amtrak waiting areas. I believe those tracks at Roanoke extend to TN. Perhaps this presents a future opportunity to get train service back to that state
Wasn't the 171 a shorter run than originally scheduled yesterday using a substitute consist?The storm has no effect on service to Roanoke yesterday, as service didn't start until today. 171 went to Lynchburg yesterday and deadheaded to Roanoke.This morning I appear to be on the first 171 Roanoker due to storm cancellation yesterday. Rosey today though.
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Johnson City, Knoxville, Chattanooga and then on to Georgia, if carrying on on NS?What would be the next logical couple of stations in TN, after Bristol?
jb
Just looked, and it still had 8 cars, which is what 171 and 176 has been running with all week so far.Wasn't the 171 a shorter run than originally scheduled yesterday using a substitute consist?The storm has no effect on service to Roanoke yesterday, as service didn't start until today. 171 went to Lynchburg yesterday and deadheaded to Roanoke.This morning I appear to be on the first 171 Roanoker due to storm cancellation yesterday. Rosey today though.
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I did not mean length of the consist. I meant length of the run. My understanding from reading various other rail related groups is that it did not originate from Boston as it is normally supposed to. Did I misinterpret what I read? It is possible.Just looked, and it still had 8 cars, which is what 171 and 176 has been running with all week so far.Wasn't the 171 a shorter run than originally scheduled yesterday using a substitute consist?The storm has no effect on service to Roanoke yesterday, as service didn't start until today. 171 went to Lynchburg yesterday and deadheaded to Roanoke.This morning I appear to be on the first 171 Roanoker due to storm cancellation yesterday. Rosey today though.
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Ah, gotcha. Yesterday it originated in Boston was it should've. Everything real fine yesterday. Monday it originated in NYP.I did not mean length of the consist. I meant length of the run. My understanding from reading various other rail related groups is that it did not originate from Boston as it is normally supposed to. Did I misinterpret what I read? It is possible.Just looked, and it still had 8 cars, which is what 171 and 176 has been running with all week so far.Wasn't the 171 a shorter run than originally scheduled yesterday using a substitute consist?The storm has no effect on service to Roanoke yesterday, as service didn't start until today. 171 went to Lynchburg yesterday and deadheaded to Roanoke.This morning I appear to be on the first 171 Roanoker due to storm cancellation yesterday. Rosey today though.
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Very positive coverage. Lots of enthusiasm. No reference to Amtrak's lateness or money-losing trains. No blatantly wrong info. A pleasure to see this report, and I'm no fan of local TV news.
Yes, I agree. States like Tennessee and Iowa that have been hold-outs against passenger rail could begin to feel envy when their neighbors start to enjoy better service.... once service is extended to Bristol, there would literally be passenger rail service on East Tennessee's doorstep. That could change TN's attitude toward passenger rail along the Eastern border of the state .. In the interim, Amtrak could run a Thruway Motorcoach south from Bristol along I-81/I-75/I-59 to Johnson City, Knoxville, Chattanooga, and Birmingham ...
Not thinking that Bristol-Knoxville-Chattanooga-Birmingham would be modeled on the Amtrak Virginia trains. That's a different thing.They can't keep extending trains indefinitely. The only reason VA service works is because they just take trainsets that would be sitting in DC overnight and send them to Richmond or points beyond, but you can only do that for so long. ... They've done wonderful work with this model, but it doesn't have much further it can be pushed.
That sounds like a good plan....TN is currently not interested in expanding passenger rail service in the state. However, once service is extended to Bristol, there would literally be passenger rail service on East Tennessee's doorstep (assuming they use the old Bristol train depot as the station). That could change TN's attitude toward passenger rail along the Eastern border of the state, especially if many Johnson City, Knoxville, and Chattanooga residents drive to Bristol to board the train. In the intern, Amtrak could run a Thruway Motorcoach south from Bristol along I-81/I-75/I-59 to Johnson City, Knoxville, Chattanooga, and Birmingham, and along I-40 to Nashville. (I chose Birmingham for the Crescent connection because the Atlanta station problems preclude running the Chattanooga Thruway to that city).
It seems to me that there are still many possibilities for quick wins... cities close to the Northeast Corridor (perhaps < 100 miles?) which could relatively easily be added to the network like Roanoke, by extending or re-routing existing Northeast Regional service.Right, people on various website want to extend this train all the way throughout the south, but it just won't work as Keellhauled points out. The train's attraction is that it allows a day's work in D.C. If all those places in Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, etc., want train service they have to step up to the plate like Virginia has and sponsor their own trains. I don't think Tennessee would get all worked up on sponsoring a train if the Lynchburger was extended to Bristol. After all, Tennessee has had Amtrak service on its west side (CONO) since the beginning of Amtrak, but hasn't cared less about adding new service out of Memphis.
The Lynchburger has been a success, let it remain a success.
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