McDonnell proposes passenger rail plan to Roanoke! (Virginia Beach, Norfolk: houses, to buy)

[roanoker 4]

I have often thought of that idea as well, just imagine a 45 minute ride to DC from Roanoke! Vietnam is now
building a bullet train, why can't we do the same in this country? I am a dreamer but I believe most people aren't and sadly the U.S. is falling behind the rest of the world as a leader in innovative transportation options.
I think one of the misconceptions about rail travel is that only people who live in big cities travel this way. Actually, with the NE regional service the state has found many people from more rural areas find travel by train to be much easier than was previously thought. I believe with the rail option out of Roanoke even more
people from the rural areas of our state will be able to use this option as a connection to DC and beyond.
The state has seen the bus as being overwhelmingly popular as a connection to the train and they are convinced Roanoke is a priority for rail service, after Norfolk. BTW, I rode the bullet train from Tokyo to Kyoto
Japan about 25 years ago, a distance of roughly the same from Roanoke to DC around 220 miles. It took a little over 2 hours to make this trip. The Japanese trains make our U.S. Amtrak trains seem like cattle cars.
I remember the train was very quiet and a cup of coffee hardly made a jitter.

[sregorat3]

The lack of effective and well used public transit connections are the main reason rail transit won't take hold anytime soon. There is a reason why train service is used more heavily from DC north than most other places in the US. The rest of the country is still in love with their cars.

[DarkWolf]

Originally Posted by roanoker 4

I have often thought of that idea as well, just imagine a 45 minute ride to DC from Roanoke! Vietnam is now
building a bullet train, why can't we do the same in this country? I am a dreamer but I believe most people aren't and sadly the U.S. is falling behind the rest of the world as a leader in innovative transportation options.
I think one of the misconceptions about rail travel is that only people who live in big cities travel this way. Actually, with the NE regional service the state has found many people from more rural areas find travel by train to be much easier than was previously thought. I believe with the rail option out of Roanoke even more
people from the rural areas of our state will be able to use this option as a connection to DC and beyond.
The state has seen the bus as being overwhelmingly popular as a connection to the train and they are convinced Roanoke is a priority for rail service, after Norfolk. BTW, I rode the bullet train from Tokyo to Kyoto
Japan about 25 years ago, a distance of roughly the same from Roanoke to DC around 220 miles. It took a little over 2 hours to make this trip. The Japanese trains make our U.S. Amtrak trains seem like cattle cars.
I remember the train was very quiet and a cup of coffee hardly made a jitter.

The Middle East is building a transit/Rail network connecting every city and the ones with systems in place are heavily used. If a car invested area like the Middle East can successful then the US can....we need to stop making excuses....

[DarkWolf]

Originally Posted by SwampFox35

if there was a big demand for rail service to/from Roanoke, why haven't private investors done it?

Somebody said the question is always "how do we pay for it"? actually, i don't think that is the question most people ask, sadly. almost like money grows on trees. government can do a lot of awesome stuff, but they have no resources of their own, and it's unfair to ask other middle class taxpayers to fund your personal transportation choices.

The Passenger Rail in this country is over regulated , which chases away most investors from Asia or Europe and small freight....

[roanoker 4]

I predict eventually passenger rail will become more of a reality in the U.S. and not just a dream like so many
today seem to want to believe. The little efforts we are doing in VA to extend service to Roanoke is being
watched by other states such as TN who also see merits in the proposal. NC, as usual has been leading the way for rail and it seems to have gotten more help from Norfolk Southern Railroad as of late. This concept is still very new for people who are married to their cars and who refuse to acknowledge the reality of todays'
transportation reality. I believe many still see the government subsidizing rail for people will only help the poor/
minorities just like in Va Beach when the proposal to extend the Norfolk light rail met with defeat. I believe the
opinion is changing in that congested region. The dream of interstate highways, cheap gas of the past is now
over. The building of MORE roads, using MORE Of our tax money has only created MORE of a demand for MORE of the same. Maybe some of that money we have squandered in the Middle East to help build their infrastructure may come back to Virginia in the form of "foreign aid", LOL!!!

[SwampFox35]

i never understood the sex appeal of mass transit for some people. my brother took Amtrak from DC to Greenville SC once and it stopped in every little town on the way down for 15 minutes each. mass transit is never going to be efficient b/c most people aren't go to the same place.

[springgrl]

Originally Posted by SwampFox35

i never understood the sex appeal of mass transit for some people. my brother took Amtrak from DC to Greenville SC once and it stopped in every little town on the way down for 15 minutes each. mass transit is never going to be efficient b/c most people aren't go to the same place.

The other perspective (it has nothing to do with sex appeal): During rush hour (which is when the Regional departs DC) Amtrak is FAR more time efficient when you take it between DC and Lynchburg. It has taken me 90 min. to two hours to just get to from Alex. to Fredericksburg on a weeknight (one nightmare Friday it was almost three). For those not familiar with the area, that's 50 miles on I-95. And the train ride is only ~15 minutes more than what it takes me to drive completely off hours (e.g., if I head southbound at 5 a.m.) without stopping for fuel & coffee. My source is not word of mouth: I've been commuting weekly/bi-weekly via train since 2009. Initially I figured it cost me about 20% more on the train than what it would cost me in fuel (although with today's gas prices it's almost break even), but I put less than 5K on my cars this past year, so that was a big savings on wear/tear/maintenance/insurance. And I can [comfortably] work on the train, so the hours are billed.

This thread is also pointing out a difference in the train service from one segment to another. I know it's been mentioned on other threads that when the train has to travel on freight tracks the speed can drop precipitously, so it's not an apple to apple comparison. I used to take the Crescent, which is what your brother likely took. From DC it only stopped in four places before Lynchburg: Alexandria, Manassas, Culpeper and Charlottesville. The latter three are all an hour apart. Unless it was ahead of schedule or there was an unpredictable track/weather issue, I don't remember the Crescent regularly stopping anywhere for 15 minutes in the segment I ride, but I guess it changes after Lynchburg. That's too bad: it's close to the same time to take the train as driving to this point, and IMO it's that match in time that makes it a viable choice for a single traveler (and the traveler going to someplace where the population NEEDS decent, accessible public transit, like NoVA/DC).

[SwampFox35]

i'm all down with mass transit but it needs to finance itself with user fees, not tax revenue. it's not fair to people who don't use mass transit to be forced to help fund the transportation choices of other people on top of paying gas and car costs of their own. the idea that there is a big demand for mass transit to/from roanoke is not believable to me.

I lived in Maryland 45 minutes or so from DC and I used the Metro there a few times and it always added a lot of time to get to where I wanted to go as compared to just driving it. I also ended up having to walk a good ways from the Metro stations to my destinations when I could have found parking close to my destination if I had driven my car. also the Metro does have a lot of scruffy people on it and it just didn't seem that safe or they were real obnoxious /loud and I kind of felt like a kid on the school bus again in that regard.

by sex appeal I mean the superfans of mass transit who act like riding mass transit is like some great experience. i can't imagine trying to do work on the Metro, or Amtrak, as my brother said that train trip was the most uncomfortable he has ever been.

[RoanokeWahoo]

Originally Posted by SwampFox35

i'm all down with mass transit but it needs to finance itself with user fees, not tax revenue. it's not fair to people who don't use mass transit to be forced to help fund the transportation choices of other people on top of paying gas and car costs of their own. the idea that there is a big demand for mass transit to/from roanoke is not believable to me.

I lived in Maryland 45 minutes or so from DC and I used the Metro there a few times and it always added a lot of time to get to where I wanted to go as compared to just driving it. I also ended up having to walk a good ways from the Metro stations to my destinations when I could have found parking close to my destination if I had driven my car. also the Metro does have a lot of scruffy people on it and it just didn't seem that safe or they were real obnoxious /loud and I kind of felt like a kid on the school bus again in that regard.

by sex appeal I mean the superfans of mass transit who act like riding mass transit is like some great experience. i can't imagine trying to do work on the Metro, or Amtrak, as my brother said that train trip was the most uncomfortable he has ever been.

The Metro isn't designed for you to do work. It's designed to get you to your destination quickly and spending $1-$2 a fare. Far less than gas currently. This is not a commuter rail idea.

Why doesn't the TDX plan include a route to the Tidewater area?

Reading this has me itching to take my newborn son to the trasnportation museum this weekend

[RoanokeWahoo]

Can only imagine this continuing once expanded to Roanoke.

Lynchburg-D.C. Amtrak route one of few to turn profit in 2011 - NewsAdvance.com : Local News