Major Colleges Not Served by Amtrak

[DET63]

I got to thinking that there have got to be some major colleges (20,000+ onsite undergrads) that aren't served by Amtrak (within 50 miles). IIRC, Virginia Tech is one. What are some others?

Just off the top of the head: 10 more: U of: Texas A&M/Texas Tech/Arizona State/LSU/Auburn/Arkansas/Oklahoma State/Wyoming/Colorado/Tennessee

Scratch Wyoming off that list. It doesn't have Amtrak service, but it also doesn't have anywhere near 20K undergrad students. Its enrollment, according to its own Website, is only about 13,000. Of those, only about 10,500 are on the Laramie campus.

As for the other 4-year schools in Wyoming . . . well, there aren't any.

 

[VentureForth]

Penn State is about 90 miles and a 2 hour long dog ride from Harrisburg, PA. Not very convenient, but doable if necessary.

State College, PA (Main Penn State campus) is only 26 miles from Tyrone on the Pennsylvanian. There is no checked baggage, and the 26 miles is a long way to walk. But it's a lot closer drive than from Pittsburgh or Philadelphia.

 

[savoirfaire]

Ohio alone has plenty...

University of Akron

Kent State University

Ohio State University

Ohio University

Bowling Green State

Wright State

More if you don't consider the Card "service".

Yeah, but Kent and Akron are both within 50 miles of ALC or CLE. Convenient however, no. Bowling Green is within 20 miles of TOL. Ohio State's 55K students are woefully underserved.

-Sav

Kent Alumni

 

[chertling]

Kansas State University (Manhattan)

True... but SO Close... The shortest route given by Google Maps between KSU and the Topeka station is 54.9 miles.... less than 5 miles outside of the OP's 50 mile radius.

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

Ohio alone has plenty...

University of Akron

Kent State University

Ohio State University

Ohio University

Bowling Green State

Wright State

More if you don't consider the Card "service".

Yeah, but Kent and Akron are both within 50 miles of ALC or CLE. Convenient however, no. Bowling Green is within 20 miles of TOL. Ohio State's 55K students are woefully underserved.

-Sav

Kent Alumni

Yeah-- how many Akron Zips jackets do you see on the CL? Oh right-- none.

Just because the station is within fifty miles doesn't mean its in any possible way serviceable. You got a choice between a rock and a hard place-- and the airports. 31 miles from CLE at 1am certainly feels like 50.

 

[ButFli]

Ohio alone has plenty...

University of Akron

Kent State University

Ohio State University

Ohio University

Bowling Green State

Wright State

More if you don't consider the Card "service".

Yeah, but Kent and Akron are both within 50 miles of ALC or CLE. Convenient however, no. Bowling Green is within 20 miles of TOL. Ohio State's 55K students are woefully underserved.

-Sav

Kent Alumni

Yeah-- how many Akron Zips jackets do you see on the CL? Oh right-- none.

Just because the station is within fifty miles doesn't mean its in any possible way serviceable. You got a choice between a rock and a hard place-- and the airports. 31 miles from CLE at 1am certainly feels like 50.

OP asked for campuses with more than 20000 students without Amtrak within 50 miles. OP didn't ask which jackets you wouldn't see on Amtrak or which campuses were a nice drive from the nearest station. Just sayin.

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

This thread isn't just about where Amtrak does and doesn't go, it is about Amtrak's accessibility to college students.

 

[WICT106]

This thread isn't just about where Amtrak does and doesn't go, it is about Amtrak's accessibility to college students.

It could also be used to illustrate the lack of service,and why Amtrak, or passenger rail in general, isn't even considered as a transportation option by many.

 

[DET63]

It could also be used to illustrate the lack of service,and why Amtrak, or passenger rail in general, isn't even considered as a transportation option by many.

I have started other threads related to this topic, specifically, Amtrak's marketing of itself to college students, who would be future regular passengers if the service was affordable and convenient (meaning that the train went to the college town at convenient times, and fares were reasonable). Amtrak, by serving college students well, would generate future, well-educated supporters, which it may well need if it plans to remain a viable part of the nation's transportation infrastructure.

 

[ogtech]

I always liked the fact that Tuscaloosa, Alabama is on the Crescent route. Used it several times to visit my daughter (currently a senior) and will miss the ride from Atlanta when she graduates in the spring.

 

[VentureForth]

I posted this thread because I went to a very small college (800 undergrad on campus) in Longview, Tx. That was in the early 90s. The Amshack was a disgrace and scared me into riding Greyhound instead to Dallas.

Had I known then what I know today, I would have probably been on that train every weekend visiting my Grandma. Of course, the TRE completes my journey and didn't exist until after her passing. But it sounds good.

There are literally millions of students that could be and aren't served by Amtrak. Ohio is a great example. I would love to see the 3-C come together.

When I did my own studies on potential High Speed rail service for the Texas Triangle, I created a route that served the largest college campuses rather than population centers. These offered more fluid repositioning of individuals than established communities of the same size.