• Ridership Loss - Virginia Railway Express

  • General discussion of passenger rail systems not otherwise covered in the specific forums in this category, including high speed rail.
General discussion of passenger rail systems not otherwise covered in the specific forums in this category, including high speed rail.

Moderators: mtuandrew, gprimr1

  by Gilbert B Norman
 
Apparently $3 a gallon and 50 miles of I-95 "bumper to bumper" is no longer enough to "drive" daily commuters on to the rails — even considering frequent delays.

I-95 delays are for real. Last June when I was "out there" my drive time from Union Station to near Fort AP Hill located South of Fredericksburg was over three hours for some 75 miles, even though I'm sure more aggressive drivers than myself could have "shaved" some time from the journey. Weather was occasional rain but I did not note any major collisions en-route.

Washington Post article

Oh, and why wasn't I on VRE myself or on Amtrak with a destination at Fredericksburg? Good luck finding a downtown auto rental facility there let alone a downtown hotel acceptable to me. However, I understand there is now a full service Marriott a-building within a walk of the train station.