CvilleRail and the Piedmont Rail Coalition

Traveling with children can be a strain on parental nerves, especially when driving on congested highways. In contrast to traveling by car, the train offers many comforts and conveniences for families with children.  Comfortable, roomy seats with fold-down trays allow kids to play games, read, write or watch videos; plug-ins for laptops and radio headsets occupy their time; some intercity trains even have on-board lounge cars with food service and snacks. All these amenities and others can make the trip fun and less confining for children.  While they’re having fun, the kids will be experiencing travel the way their grandparents experienced it – by rail!

The University of Virginia enrolls many students from Northern Virginia, while the D.C. area is home to many UVA alums. Students go home for weekends and holidays, and alums travel to Charlottesville for UVA Homecoming and sports events. The train is an ideal way for students and alums to travel without the hassle of congested weekend traffic and parking problems.

For overnight visitors, Union Station on West Main Street is within walking distance to hotels and restaurants on the University Corner, West Main and Downtown, as well as to Scott Stadium. Well-planned, intermodal transit service could be easily established to shuttle arriving passengers to UVA’s new John Paul Jones Arena, or other points at the University, for special events.

Many older Americans grew up riding on trains, with names like the “20th Century Limited,” “Silver Meteor” and “Silver Comet,” – trains that brought America’s urban centers and rural communities closer together in a passenger rail network that stretched from coast to coast. Although most seniors have spent their adult lives getting around by car, they remember an era when trains were the only way to travel longer distances. Now, a significant number of older Americans are “stranded without options,” according to a 2004 report by the Surface Transportation Policy Project. More than one in five (21%) of adults over 65 no longer drive, for reasons that include declining health, eyesight, physical or mental abilities, concern over safety, no car or no access to a car, and personal preferences. Their safety concerns are realistic, as older drivers are more likely than younger drivers to be killed in car crashes relative to the miles they drive. These non-driving seniors either ride with someone else or depend upon public transportation to help them stay active and engaged, and to meet basic needs.

In the Mid-Atlantic states, including Virginia and the District of Columbia, 57% of non-driving seniors stay home on any given day because of lack of transportation options. African–American, Latino, and Asian–American elders are disproportionately affected by the lack of options because many more do not drive. Accessible and convenient train service  gives seniors the mobility to remain active and to travel between cities for social, family or recreational activities. Otherwise, as the data indicate, they may simply stay home.  The train also proves to be a favorite mode with elderly passengers because it allows them to move around while in transit (good for those with arthritis and circulation problems), the seats are wide and comfortable and encourage napping, and restroom facilities are always available.

Many long–time Charlottesville residents take advantage of economic opportunities in Northern Virginia at some point in their careers which require that they travel, either regularly or occasionally, to Washington for professional and business purposes. On the way, they encounter chokepoints along U.S. Route 29 and gridlock on I-66 that make the trip by car unsafe, stressful, and altogether unpleasant. For business travelers, trains offer an alternative to driving to work alone. The Center for Transportation Excellence reports that a regular rush-hour driver wastes an average of 99 gallons of gasoline a year due to traffic jams, at an average cost per person in lost time of $1,160. 

Rail commuters benefit from the reduced stress and expense of commuting by car, at the same time saving fuel, reducing chemical emissions, and lessening the risk of traffic injuries and fatalities. Commuters can put their time on the train to productive use – using laptops, reading, responding to e-mail and using cell phones – that would otherwise be spent driving and sitting in traffic.

The Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission, in its Regional Economic Development Plan, has recommended promoting tourism in order to grow our economy while preserving the rural landscape and minimizing the impact on our natural resources.

Washington, D.C. attracts over seven million tourists annually from all over the world, while Central Virginia attracts a half-million visitors annually to sites such as Monticello, the University of Virginia, Ash Lawn, Downtown Charlottesville and Court Square, Montpelier, Wintergreen, etc. 

Direct rail service between Charlottesville and Washington, D.C. increases the region’s attractiveness as a tourist destination and contributes to sustainable economic development that supports our quality of life and helps preserve our natural resources.