News from Virginia

By Michael Testerman, President of Virginia Association of Railway Patrons. www.varprail.org

Just about everyone agrees that Bristol, Virginia, is not the logical starting point for passenger rail service through Southwest Virginia to Washington, DC, and Richmond.

On August 17, members of the Trans-Dominion Express Committee spoke with a group of Tennessee chamber of commerce executives meeting in Johnson City, seeking their support for a plan to extend passenger rail service from Lynchburg, VA to Chattanooga, Tenn. The plan would address a recent Viginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation study that said the Tri-Cities area is too sparsely populated to support such an endeavor.

"We're trying to encourage [Tennessee] chambers to reach out to local governments in three congressional districts to look into a distinct possibility," according to Rex Hammond, president and CEO of the Lynchburg Chamber of Commerce, quoted in the "Bristol Herald Courier".

The committee, which is overseen by the Lynchburg chamber but composed primarily of Southwestern Virginia and East Tennessee residents, has worked more than a decade to return passenger rail service to the region.

Lisa Meadows, CEO of the Bristol Chamber of Commerce and president of the state chamber executives association, said, "We're trying to see if each individual chamber will come on board and try to sponsor letters of support and resolutions from their local governments...We want to ask the state of Tennessee for a feasability study to look at the numbers - costs, rail service potential and predict ridership numbers."

August 17's initial dialogue was favorable, and a more formal meeting could occur soon, Meadows said. She told me that another meeting for the general public is planned for late fall, 2011.

Music City Star up 40% in 2011

Nashville's Regional Transportation Authority reported a 40% ridership increase as of July 2011 on the Music City Star compared to the same time frame last year.

The Star set an all-time single-month record of 1,227 daily passengers in June 2011, which was 50% higher than June 2010. The regional bus services operated by RTA reported similar growth indicating that Nashville area residents are willing and eager to leave their cars at home.

People who try the Music City Star are easily sold on train travel compared to Nashville's everyday traffic headache. One new resident from the Mt. Juliet was convinced after just one trip. Tracy McDonald wrote a letter to RTA saying, "I have fallen in love with my train ride in and out of the city...I get to my office much faster if I take the train!"

Gas prices did not increase near as much in 2011 as expected, but that has done little to slow the growth of Tennessee's only commuter train!

Amtrak at 30 million

Amtrak reported a system-wide ridership of over 30.1 million passengers in the fiscal year ending September 30th, 2011. This marks a 40-year record and the first time ever that annual ridership broke the 30 million mark.

These gains occurred in spite of a difficult year of major weather interruptions. Throughout 2011 Amtrak faced a multitude of train delays and cancellations due to flooding, freezing, and blizzard conditions. Another cause for delays and interruptions was due to major track work on certain routes, mostly in Illinois and Massachusetts. Yet, none of these conditions stopped the onslaught of Americans who want an alternative to highway and air travel.

Tennessee's only intercity passenger train, the Chicago-Memphis-New Orleans "City of New Orleans", posted a modest ridership growth of 1.8% for Fiscal Year 2011. This growth occurred even though the route had multiple delays and cancellations due to severe Mississippi River flooding earlier in the year.

Transit-Oriented Development in Lebanon

The mayor of Lebanon, Tennessee has every reason to be proud. The Music City Star is bringing people to town - not only to visit, but to live and work.

Developers Jack and Rick Bell have cleared plans with the city to construct a 260-acre commercial/residential complex adjacent to the train route. The complex will appeal to urban professionals who want the benefit of a small town home, but with easy access to downtown on the train. It will also appeal to seniors and families who enjoy a small town lifestyle, but with big-city entertainment and attractions only a train ride away.

The commercial storefronts will make the entire community more livable and will also provide a tax revenue boost for Lebanon and Wilson County.

Mayor Philip Craighead said, "Many people have moved to Lebanon because of the availability of commuter train service." This proves, more and more, that the Music City Star is becoming a valuable transportation asset. We expect other Nashville area mayors to push for service to their cities as well.

New Megabus Route to Atlanta

TARP is very pleased to note that Megabus is offering a new route from Nashville and Chattanooga to Atlanta. This new service just happens to make it easier and cheaper for Tennesseans to reach Atlanta's Amtrak station.

Megabus travels to and from the Marta Civic Center station at 435 W. Peachtree Street. At the Civic Center Station, walk inside and buy a Breeze Card and one-way fare from the ticket machine. Board the next northbound train and step off at the Arts Center. (Both the Red Line and Gold Line trains connect the Civic Center and the Arts Center.)

When you step off at the Arts Center Station, walk over to the outbound bus platform and board the Northbound Bus #110, which is bound for Lenox Station. When you step on board, tap your Breeze Card against the blue target. Ring the bell when you see the Amtrak station and the bus will stop in front of the station across the street.

For more information, visit megabus.com and also itsmarta.com.