Union Station
The Charlottesville AMTRAK station, also known as Charlottesville Union Station, is located on West Main Street between the University of Virginia and the downtown mall.
Services
Currently the Cardinal/Hoosier State line, which runs between Chicago and New York, and the Crescent line, which runs between New Orleans and New York, stop in the station. The Northeast Regional services makes daily northbound and southbound stops between Lynchburg and Washington D.C. A second regional train is expected to begin operating in 2022. [1]
1999 Agreement
On March 15, 1999, City Council and Union Station Partners LLC entered into an agreement for a potential multimodal facility at this location. The project never materialized. [2] [3]
Rail Expansion
2009
The state of Virginia approved a three-year $17 million pilot program to create a rail line between Lynchburg and Washington D.C[4]. This daily route would stop in Charlottesville each morning and evening. The service began on October 1, 2009, with trains leaving Lynchburg at 7:43 a.m.[5]
In July 2011, Amtrak began providing a bus service from Roanoke as a one-year pilot project to determine if there would be a market to extend service in the future.[6]
The train was extended to Roanoke beginning in 2017. It is one of the most profitable in the Amtrak network. [citation needed]
Parking lot
A gravel parking lot was a source of tension with the station's neighbors. On windy days, dust blew everywhere, upsetting people like Peter Castiglione, the owner of Maya. He threatened legal action against the lot owner Gabe Silverman, but Silverman and his partners hired a contractor to pave the lot in 2011. [7]
Upgrades
As part of the creation of a state-wide rail plan, the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation is studying future needs for the station including bringing it up to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. [1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Web. May 4, 2021: Charlottesville Council begins process to remove Confederate statues; Virginia Passenger Rail Authority gets update on rail plans, Sean Tubbs, Charlottesville Community Engagement, Town Crier Productions, May 4, 2021, retrieved May 11, 2021.
- ↑ Web. [https://civicclerk.blob.core.windows.net/stream/CHARLOTTESVILLEVA/6e6a0d15-a9eb-4116-b772-691c2a4e68f4.pdf?sv=2015-12-11&sr=b&sig=UNQ6yRhySdq6h1OgNaL5lMquDwSUpwW1T5HQaeePoKo%3D&st=2021-01-31T20%3A21%3A16Z&se=2022-01-31T20%3A26%3A16Z&sp=r Union Station Partnership Reconveyance of TMP 300002A00 and Associated Easements], Chris Engel, Director of Economic Development, Staff Report, February 1, 2021, retrieved January 31, 2021.
- ↑ Web. March 15, 1999 Charlottesville City Council meetings, Minutes, City of Charlottesville, retrieved January 31, 2021.
- ↑ http://www.dailyprogress.com/cdp/news/local/article/passenger_rail_picks_up_speed/32475/, Daily Progress, retrieved on 1/8/2009
- ↑ Web. Schedule for new daily train service unlikely to change, Sean Tubbs, Charlottesville Tomorrow, August 28, 2009, retrieved September 15, 2009.
- ↑ Web. Roanoke's bus connector to Lynchburg draws a crowd, Ray Reed, Lynchburg News & Advance, July 19, 2011, retrieved July 19, 2011.
- ↑ Web. Paving imminent for dusty West Main lot, Chiara Canzi, C-VILLE Weekly, Portico Publications, retrieved February 23, 2011. Print. February 22, 2011 .