Photo by willquale.

Yesterday, I rode the first intercity passenger rail service the Commonwealth of Virginia has ever funded. The train arrived promptly at the station in Charlottesville this morning, and headed on its way to Union Station. A decent-sized crowd boarded with me, and the local media were there to film the event. Passing through the small town of Orange, not yet a stop along the route, an older couple waved to us from their porch. The last time a new service was launched in Virginia was 1956.

Both this line from Lynchburg to DC and another from Richmond to DC, which will start on December 15, were approved by the Commonwealth Board of Transportation as three-year demonstration projects. If ridership figures are there (51,000 annually), this could be a game-changer for intercity transit in Virginia. During a ceremonial “Whistle Stop Tour” along the route yesterday, Governor Tim Kaine suggested that Roanoke may be next. The residents there are already getting excited.

Rail advocates have been fighting for this service for many years. Meredith Richards, president of Virginians for High Speed Rail and Piedmont Rail Coalition, has, by all accounts, led this charge. Not only is the service expected to take 1.4 million cars off the highways each year, it provides a vital economic link between Virginia cities and the nation’s capital. I would add that enhancing rail service could only help to facilitate compact development around the rail stations along the route, as well as feed into and strengthen the D.C. metro system.

The service did suffer a setback last spring when the schedule was pushed later by a couple of hours. Many people were concerned that the difference between a 9:20 and an 11:20 arrival would deter commuters. It seems that the very profitable freight rail operations still take precedence over passengers when it comes to scheduling. When I talked to Meredith Richards about this, she was grateful that the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transit had initiated a new service at all, but she was also concerned that the scheduling would not demonstrate the full ridership potential of the corridor.

This trip is perfectly convenient for me. I needed to be in Crystal City for the American Collegiate Schools of Planning conference from Thursday through Sunday. I live a 10 minute walk from the Charlottesville Amtrak station, and the hotel for the conference is right on the Metro Yellow Line, just three stops up from the Alexandria Amtrak station. The whole trip is cheaper, faster, and less of a hassle than driving. The man next to me says it shaved three hours off his usual trip to Boston, which had previously required a bus and a layover. I doubt we’re complete outliers. As more and more people realize that their transportation options have just expanded, the momentum for rail travel in Virginia will surely continue to build.

I made the trip door-to-door within three hours. Not bad for the first day.