Passenger Trains > Third Norfolk train

https://media.amtrak.com/2022/06/amtrak-increases-daily-service-to-norfolk/
Andy

If Norfolk proving more popular than Newport News ? 

Hampton Roads is a huge population area that dominates Southeast Virginia.

The old C&O had service to Newport News that ended at a waterfront station (there was ferry service before the last years) and had a dedicated bus over to the Norfolk side.

The original Norfolk station served the other railroads. Amtrak had very brief service to Norfolk in the early days.

The new Norfolk service goes directly into Norfolk and its business center, Navy bases, and includes the popular Virginia Beach on that side of Hampton Roads. Portsmouth (original home of the Seaboard Air Line before most of its headquarters moved over to Norfolk and then ultimately to Richmond), Chesapeake and Suffolk are separated from Norfolk by the Elizabeth River.

The Newport News side also includes Hampton.

It is such a big area that it is reasonable to serve both sides of Hampton Roads.

Hampton Roads, like any huge metropolitan area with a big body of water dividing it, tends to have people who live and work on one side and those on the other. Even though today a lot of the population commutes from one side to the other, it's still and "us and them" situation for many people. All of it may be in the same media market, but that doesn't mean it's completely unified.

The old C&O/now CSX line also serves Williamsburg, a huge tourist destination. That line comes through Main Street Station in Richmond and proceeds to Williamsburg and then to Lee Hall which used to be a big military station and then to Newport News.

The old Norfolk & Western line that goes into Norfolk comes out of the Staples Mill Road station in Richmond, goes South to Petersburg on CSX, then moves onto the now Norfolk Southern line through Waverly, Wakefield, Disputana, Ivor, Zuni (I don't recall the exact order of the small towns) and Windsor before reaching Suffolk and then into Norfolk by crossing a bridge. The Norfolk & Western line used to be a huge coal-hauling line that was part of the line from the saltwater ports at Sewell's Point in Norfolk up to the coal fields in western Virginia and West Virginia.

One interesting thing about major cities in Virginia is they are not part of any county that surrounds them; they are all independent political entities not associated with the counties.
 



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/21/22 15:47 by johnpage.

Later this year, the "downtown" Newport News "Amshack" station is slated to close. It will be replaced by a new facility near the Newport News / Williamsburg Airport, some 8 miles northwest of the current location.

Newport News is currently served by a single train. No word when trains 66 and 67 (the former Night Owl / Twilight Shoreliner) will return.

EDIT: per below the "second" Newport News returns July 11 as well, but it doesn't appear to have the sleeper. There's no accomodation option, just coach and business.

 

Paul Wilson
Arlington, VA



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/21/22 17:15 by Dcmcrider.

65/66/67 the former "Night Owl/Twilight Shoreliner/Federal" is the restored  2nd Newport News train that returns July 11th.  25 years ago the "Twight Shoreliner" replaced the "Night Owl" I beleive on July 10th 1997. We've missed the "Owl" since it went away at the end of December 2021.

Personally, I like the image library and video/b-roll assets. 

Lets all make our own Amtrak commercials.

so, no problem with enough crews for this train (1 conductor and 1 a/c)?

66

But the Newport News train is funded by Virginia from Washington DC to Newport News right? Hence the whole saga of dumping the sleeper car passengers at Washington DC as "end of the line" and running it empty to/from Newport News.

Amtrak ran the narrative that Virginia was only funding coach operations, for lack of better words. The Twilight Shoreliner, however, was different as it went "all the way" from Boston to Washington DC to Newport News (Tidewater Region) with a Viewliner Sleeper in tow. That's as it should be. There should be a sleeper "all the way" as train #65/66/67 is the overnight train on the NEC. If airlines need staff, they are cancelling the Boston to Newark or New York to Washington DC train.......Sunday a friend of mine was supposed to fly between Boston and New York. His original flight was cancelled, and he got re-booked to an afternoon flight, then that flight got cancelled and he got re-booked onto an early evening flight. Then that flight was cancelled to and he got re-scheduled to Monday morning 6 am. Long story short - he took the Sunday afternoon Acela Express home. 

mvrr10 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> 65/66/67 the former "Night Owl/Twilight
> Shoreliner/Federal" is the restored  2nd Newport
> News train that returns July 11th.  25 years ago
> the "Twight Shoreliner" replaced the "Night Owl" I
> beleive on July 10th 1997. We've missed the "Owl"
> since it went away at the end of December 2021.
Interestingly enough, the restored 65/67 will terminate at Newport News, but 66 will be the afternoon departure from Roanoke.  The afternoon train from NPN will be #186 (weekdays) or #124, leaving at 3:45 pm (weekends); passengers to BOS will change at NY or WAS.
Andy

The combined population of this area is 1.75 Million People.  More than enough to support services from 2 cities and multiple trains.

twropr Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> mvrr10 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > 65/66/67 the former "Night Owl/Twilight
> > Shoreliner/Federal" is the restored  2nd
> Newport
> > News train that returns July 11th.  25 years
> ago
> > the "Twight Shoreliner" replaced the "Night Owl"
> I
> > beleive on July 10th 1997. We've missed the
> "Owl"
> > since it went away at the end of December 2021.
> Interestingly enough, the restored 65/67 will
> terminate at Newport News, but 66 will be the
> afternoon departure from Roanoke.  The afternoon
> train from NPN will be #186 (weekdays) or #124,
> leaving at 3:45 pm (weekends); passengers to BOS
> will change at NY or WAS.
> Andy

That means they have no intentions of putting the sleeper back. If it goes to Newport News, it can't back back north to Boston that night. 

joemvcnj Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> twropr Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > mvrr10 Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > 65/66/67 the former "Night Owl/Twilight
> > > Shoreliner/Federal" is the restored  2nd
> > Newport
> > > News train that returns July 11th.  25 years
> > ago
> > > the "Twight Shoreliner" replaced the "Night
> Owl"
> > I
> > > beleive on July 10th 1997. We've missed the
> > "Owl"
> > > since it went away at the end of December
> 2021.
> > Interestingly enough, the restored 65/67 will
> > terminate at Newport News, but 66 will be the
> > afternoon departure from Roanoke.  The
> afternoon
> > train from NPN will be #186 (weekdays) or #124,
> > leaving at 3:45 pm (weekends); passengers to
> BOS
> > will change at NY or WAS.
> > Andy
>
> That means they have no intentions of putting the
> sleeper back. If it goes to Newport News, it can't
> back back north to Boston that night. 

Unless the car was cut off or added in Washington.  How likely would that be?  I will say not likely.

Jim

Amtrak is not selling sleeper space on the restored overnight train.  However, you can ride Boston to DC in coach for only $36!

Dave