NS To Restore Passenger Service

SteveRG · **Joined:** Fri Sep 15, 2006 3:28 am **Posts:** 270

Don't know how new this post is, but got it from the Facebook NS Page.
Good news for the region and possibly for steam as well.

http://www.nscorp.com/nscportal/nscorp/ ... enger.html

Mgoldman · **Posted:** Tue Dec 21, 2010 7:35 am

Too bad it's not "NS to restore IT'S Passenger Service"!

Anyone else picturing regular runs with 611 - again?
Great news and certainly a step in the right direction.

/Mitch

dinwitty · **Joined:** Wed Oct 22, 2008 8:18 pm **Posts:** 2226

I would say let the current steam program have their bit of success, maybe that will motivate getting 611 back.

Norfolk VA no Amtrak service? That is about like Ft Wayne, IN, with no passenger service, even tho its the 2nd largest city in the state. You have to drive north to Waterloo to get on an Amtrak.

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Tue Dec 21, 2010 11:41 am

Norfolk has long (always?) had a bus connection to its Newport News station on the C&O route to Richmond. The new route is direct but a bit counterintuitive for the rail historian, because in involves building a connection between the NS ex-N&W track between Norfolk and Crewe and the ex-ACL somewhere around Clollier Yard in Petersburg. I will be curious to see where they put the Amtrak station in Norfolk--the old Norfolk Terminal union station was demolished in the 1960s, and any modern substitute is likely to suffer the same "bus stop in the suburbs" syndrome as such stations as the old Richmond Staples Mills stop, the Maricopa stop for Phoenix, etc.

Higherspeedrailnow · **Joined:** Wed Aug 13, 2008 2:09 am **Posts:** 130

Alexander D. Mitchell IV wrote:

Norfolk has long (always?) had a bus connection to its Newport News station on the C&O route to Richmond. The new route is direct but a bit counterintuitive for the rail historian, because in involves building a connection between the NS ex-N&W track between Norfolk and Crewe and the ex-ACL somewhere around Clollier Yard in Petersburg. I will be curious to see where they put the Amtrak station in Norfolk--the old Norfolk Terminal union station was demolished in the 1960s, and any modern substitute is likely to suffer the same "bus stop in the suburbs" syndrome as such stations as the old Richmond Staples Mills stop, the Maricopa stop for Phoenix, etc.

Maricopa was 3 days a week in the middle of the night. Just like that other tiny town Cinncinnati. There also was no way to get to Phoenix, except a expensive cab ride. I also don"t know if Maricopa was like South Bend, when it came to safe parking of a car? The South Shore station at South Bend used to have bars on the windows! This is the station Amtrak uses. The whole idea is to control demand for ridership. Since they really don't want to run the service. They just want to run the NE corridor.

Higherspeedrailnow · **Joined:** Wed Aug 13, 2008 2:09 am **Posts:** 130

Alexander D. Mitchell IV wrote:

Norfolk has long (always?) had a bus connection to its Newport News station on the C&O route to Richmond. The new route is direct but a bit counterintuitive for the rail historian, because in involves building a connection between the NS ex-N&W track between Norfolk and Crewe and the ex-ACL somewhere around Clollier Yard in Petersburg. I will be curious to see where they put the Amtrak station in Norfolk--the old Norfolk Terminal union station was demolished in the 1960s, and any modern substitute is likely to suffer the same "bus stop in the suburbs" syndrome as such stations as the old Richmond Staples Mills stop, the Maricopa stop for Phoenix, etc.

When they started Amtrak. You'd think they'd run the trains where the people were. Like between Chicago and Milwaukee. This is a very popular and busy corridor. Milwaukee Road, C&NW, CNS&M, and indirectly Soo Line were in it (a electric connection with TMER&L) C&NW served Evanston,Kenosha,Racine (and Great Lakes) directly. What did they use? The Milwaukee Road which served the big cities of Glenview and Sturtevant. With no speed, and service gaps.And of course they went by the Milwaukee Airport for what 35 years? Without stopping. This corridor today is a run away success. By the way Great Lakes used to load whole trains of sailors looking for a good time in downtown Milwaukee. When there trains were dropped it did have a impact on the businesses downtown. They were not in the public timetable. You could buy a ticket and ride them if you wanted. I think they ran express. Yes, I did see them. This business was just thrown away by Amtrak. They used Chicago commuter cars. Double deckers, they were big trains.