Hilltopper (train)
Boston, Massachusetts Catlettsburg, Kentucky | |
Stops | 34 |
---|---|
Distance travelled | 1,674 miles (2,694 km) |
Average journey time | 26 hours 35 minutes |
Service frequency | Daily |
Train number(s) | 34, 35 (until January 8, 1978) 66, 67 |
On-board services | |
Class(es) |
|
Catering facilities | On-board cafe |
Technical | |
Rolling stock | Amfleet coaches |
Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
Track owner(s) | Amtrak, RF&P, N&W |
The Hilltopper was a passenger train operated by
History
The Chicago-Norfolk
The Hilltopper had warm supporters in Byrd and West Virginian congressman
The Hilltopper was one of five routes cut on October 1, 1979, as part of a reorganization by the
The end of the Hilltopper spelled the end of intercity rail service along much of its route in
Proposed restored service
As recently as October 2019, passenger rail advocates are pushing for restoration of east-west service from Christiansburg and the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Hampton Roads area, via Roanoke, Lynchburg, Charlottesville, and Richmond with a "Commonwealth Corridor." This would be the first cross-Virginia passenger train since the Hilltopper.[10][11]
A 2021 feasibility study for the corridor conducted by the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation estimated that the service would cost $416.5 million to get started, and generate 177,200 annual riders by 2040.[12]
In December 2023, the Federal Railroad Administration accepted an application by VDRPT to enter the Commonwealth Corridor route into its Corridor Identification and Development Program. The program grants $500,000 toward service planning and prioritizes the route for future federal funding.[13]
References
- ^ "National Train Timetables". National Railroad Passenger Corporation. July 29, 1979. p. 34 – via Museum of Railway Timetables.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-253-34705-3.
- ^ "Hilltopper Begins Service". Amtrak News. Vol. 4, no. 11. Amtrak. June 15, 1977.
- ^ "Hilltopper Begins Service". Amtrak News. Vol. 4, no. 10. Amtrak. June 1, 1977.
- ISBN 9780275978532.
- ISBN 978-0-7603-1765-5.
- ^ Amtrak National Train Timetables. Amtrak. January 8, 1978. pp. 9, 34.
- ^ a b c Franklin, Ben A. (October 1, 1979). "Amtrak Hilltopper Given Last 'All Aboard!'". New York Times. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
- ^ Sturgeon, Jeff (May 23, 2016). "Building of Roanoke's Amtrak platform expected to start this fall, state says". Roanoke Times. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
- ^ Wyatt Gordon, 'Greater Greater Washington,' "Virginia is planning an east-west rail route connecting the Blue Ridge Mountains to the beach," October 16, 2019, https://ggwash.org/view/74274/commonwealth-corridor-rail-route-may-run-from-the-blue-ridge-mountains-to-beach
- ^ Virginians for High Speed Rail, Southern Environmental Law Center, "Expanding Virginia's Passenger Rail, Connecting the Blue Ridge to the Beach with the Commonwealth Corridor" http://www.vhsr.com/sites/default/files/2019-09/VCC%20Report%20Final.pdf Archived April 4, 2020, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, "Commonwealth Corridor Feasibility Study", January 2022, https://drpt.virginia.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/2021-commonwealth-corridor-study.pdf
- ^ "FY22 Corridor Identification and Development Program Selections." railroads.dot.gov. Federal Railroad Administration, December 2023, https://railroads.dot.gov/sites/fra.dot.gov/files/2023-12/FY22%20CID%20Project%20Summaries-Map-r1.pdf
External links
Media related to Hilltopper (train) at Wikimedia Commons