Petersburg station

Last updated
Petersburg, VA
Petersburg VA Amtrak station 1.jpg
Petersburg station building
General information
Location3516 South Street
Ettrick, Virginia
United States
Coordinates 37°14′31″N77°25′43″W / 37.2419°N 77.4287°W / 37.2419; -77.4287
Owned by CSX Transportation
Operated by Amtrak
Platforms1 island and 1 side platform
Tracks2
Construction
ParkingYes; free
AccessibleYes
Other information
Station code Amtrak: PTB
History
OpenedMay 16, 1955 [1]
Passengers
FY 202121,476 [2] (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station BSicon LOGO Amtrak2.svg Amtrak Following station
Rocky Mount
toward Charlotte
Carolinian Richmond Staples Mill Road
toward New York
Rocky Mount
toward Savannah
Palmetto
Rocky Mount
toward Miami
Silver Meteor
Silver Star
Norfolk
Terminus
Northeast Regional Richmond Staples Mill Road
Former services
Preceding station Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Following station
Carson
toward Tampa
Main Line Chester
toward Richmond

Petersburg station (also known as Ettrick station) is an Amtrak railroad station located at 3516 South Street in Ettrick, Virginia just outside the city of Petersburg. However, like most of Ettrick, it has a Petersburg address. The station was built in 1955 by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL) and services nearby Virginia State University and its home field, Rogers Stadium, both a short walk from the station.

Contents

History

In the 1970s Amtrak also served Union Station in Petersburg until Mountaineer service east–west across Virginia ended in 1977.

In the 2010s a replacement station was proposed in Colonial Heights to serve the Tri-Cities of Petersburg, Colonial Heights, and Hopewell. [3] Those plans were shelved as of July 2019, when the Commonwealth Transportation Board reported that $5.7 million had been secured for modernizing the station including replacement of the passenger platform and connecting ramps, as well as improving the parking lot, access road, and signs on Interstate 95. [4]

In 2019 bus service began to the multi-modal station in downtown Petersburg, with a park-and-ride lot under construction. [5] [6]

An additional daily Northeast Regional round trip was added on July 11, 2022, increasing Norfolk service through Petersburg to three weekday round trips and two weekend round trips. [7] [8]

Proposed future

Petersburg's role as a passenger rail transfer station would grow under the Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor project, which includes high-speed service to both Norfolk, Virginia, and Raleigh, North Carolina. [9] A shorter route to Raleigh is in the works, with the acquisition of CSX abandoned right-of-way and underused trackage. [10]

Services

Petersburg station is served by five Amtrak routes: Northeast Regional , Carolinian , Palmetto , Silver Star , and Silver Meteor .

Related Research Articles

<i>Northeast Regional</i> Amtrak northeastern U.S. intercity rail service

The Northeast Regional is an intercity rail service operated by Amtrak in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic United States. In the past it has been known as the NortheastDirect, Acela Regional, or Regional. It is Amtrak's busiest route, carrying 8,686,930 passengers in fiscal year (FY) 2018, a 1.4% increase over the 8.57 million passengers in FY 2017. The Northeast Regional service earned over $613.9 million in gross ticket revenue in FY 2016, a 0.4% increase over the $611.7 million earned during FY 2015.

<i>Silver Meteor</i> Amtrak service between New York and Florida

The Silver Meteor is a long-distance passenger train operated by Amtrak between New York City and Miami, Florida. Introduced in 1939 as the first diesel-powered streamliner between New York and Florida, it was the flagship train of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad (SAL) and one of the flagship trains of its successor, the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad (SCL). The train was transferred to Amtrak when it took over intercity passenger rail service in 1971.

<i>Silver Star</i> (Amtrak train) Amtrak service between New York and Florida

The Silver Star is a long-distance passenger train operated by Amtrak on a 1,522-mile (2,449 km) route between New York City and Miami via Washington, D.C., Richmond, Virginia, Raleigh, North Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, Savannah, Georgia, Jacksonville, Florida, and Tampa, Florida. The Silver Star and its sister train in the Silver Service brand, the Silver Meteor, are the descendants of numerous long-distance trains that operated between Florida and New York for most of the 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor</span> Proposed passenger rail project in the United States

The Southeast Corridor (SEC) is a proposed passenger rail transportation project in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States to extend high-speed passenger rail services from Washington, D.C. south through Richmond, Petersburg with a spur to Norfolk in Virginia through Raleigh, Durham, Greensboro and south to Charlotte in North Carolina and connect with the existing high-speed rail corridor from D.C. to Boston, Massachusetts known as the Northeast Corridor. Since first established in 1992, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has extended the corridor to Atlanta, Georgia and Macon, Georgia; Greenville, South Carolina; Columbia, South Carolina; Jacksonville, Florida; and Birmingham, Alabama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richmond Main Street Station</span> Railway station in Richmond VA

Richmond Main Street Station, officially the Main Street Station and Trainshed, is a historic railroad station and office building in Richmond, Virginia. It was built in 1901, and is served by Amtrak. It is also an intermodal station with Richmond's city transit bus services, which are performed by Greater Richmond Transit Company (GRTC). It is colloquially known by people from the city as The Clock Tower. It is a U.S. National Historic Landmark. Main Street Station serves as a secondary train station for Richmond providing limited Amtrak service directly to downtown Richmond. Several Amtrak trains serving the Richmond metropolitan area only stop at the area's primary rail station, Staples Mill Road which is located five miles to the north in Henrico County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlottesville Union Station</span>

The Charlottesville Union Station, located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, is served by Amtrak's Cardinal,Crescent, and daily Northeast Regional passenger trains. It is Amtrak's third-busiest station in Virginia, aside from its all-auto Auto Train station in Lorton. The station is situated in the northeast quadrant of the junction between two railway lines. The Cardinal uses the east–west line, owned by the state of Virginia, and formerly by CSX Transportation, and operated by the Buckingham Branch Railroad, while other services use the north–south line owned and operated by Norfolk Southern Railway. The station is within walking distance of the University of Virginia, which is the major employer in the area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buckingham Branch Railroad</span>

Buckingham Branch Railroad is a Class III short-line railroad operating over 275 miles (443 km) of historic and strategic trackage in Central Virginia. Sharing overhead traffic with CSX and Amtrak, the company's headquarters are in Dillwyn, Virginia in the former Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad (C&O) station, itself a historic landmark in the community. The railroad was featured in the January 2012 issue of Trains Magazine. It is referenced in the How It’s Made episode “Railway Bridge Ties”, showing it crossing a curved bridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newport News station</span> Railway station in Newport News, Virginia

Newport News station is an Amtrak intercity train station in Newport News, Virginia. The station is the southern terminus of two daily Northeast Regional round trips. It has a single side platform adjacent to a large CSX rail yard. An Amtrak Thruway motorcoach connection to Norfolk station effectively doubles the frequency between each station and Washington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raleigh Union Station</span> American intermodal transit station

Raleigh Union Station is an intermodal transit station in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Train service began the morning of July 10, 2018. Its main building serves as an Amtrak train station, while a future adjacent building will serve as the bus terminus for GoTriangle. The station is located at the Boylan Wye, a railroad junction used by CSX and Norfolk Southern, and adjacent to the Depot Historic District in downtown Raleigh.

The Gulf Coast Limited was a passenger train service operated by Amtrak along the Gulf Coast of the United States. It ran daily between New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mobile, Alabama, with stops in Bay St. Louis, Gulfport, Biloxi, and Pascagoula, Mississippi. The route first operated in 1984–1985, and again in 1996–1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Union Station (Petersburg)</span> Former railway station in Petersburg, Virginia

Petersburg Union Station is a former train station in Petersburg, Virginia. It was built in 1909–1910 for the Norfolk and Western Railway, and was later used by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad and Amtrak.

<i>Carolinian</i> (train) Amtrak service between New York, NY and Charlotte, NC

The Carolinian is a daily Amtrak passenger train that runs between New York City and Charlotte, North Carolina, with major stops in Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, Richmond, Raleigh, Cary, Durham, and Greensboro. The 704-mile (1,133 km) service is the longest state-supported route in the Amtrak system. Northbound trains leave Charlotte at breakfast time and arrive in New York in the early evening, while southbound trains leave New York during the morning rush and arrive in Charlotte in the evening.

<i>Piedmont</i> (train) Amtrak train between Raleigh and Charlotte, North Carolina

The Piedmont is a regional passenger train operated by Amtrak and the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), running four round trips daily between Raleigh and Charlotte, North Carolina. It is a sister train to the Carolinian, which runs from Charlotte to New York City. The Piedmont route is coextensive with the far southern leg of the Carolinian, largely paralleling Interstate 85. Operations began in May 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norfolk station (Amtrak)</span> Railway station in Norfolk, Virginia, US

Norfolk station is a train station in Norfolk, Virginia. It is the terminus of a branch of Amtrak's Northeast Regional service which begins in Boston, Massachusetts. Service began on December 12, 2012. This station returned intercity passenger rail service to Norfolk proper for the first time since 1977 when the Mountaineer ended. Norfolk was previously served by several railroads, including Norfolk & Western at Norfolk Terminal Station, and then by N&W and Amtrak at Lambert's Point station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amtrak Virginia</span> Amtrak train routes in Virginia, US

Amtrak Virginia is the collective name for Virginia's state-supported Amtrak train service, all of which falls under the Northeast Regional brand. Amtrak Virginia trains run between Washington, D.C., and one of four southern termini: Richmond, Newport News, Norfolk, or Roanoke. Trains generally continue north from D.C. along the Northeast Corridor, providing one-seat rides from Virginia to Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York City, and Boston.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Connecticut River Line</span>

The Connecticut River Line is a railroad line owned by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), that serves the "Knowledge Corridor" between Springfield and East Northfield, Massachusetts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roanoke station (Virginia)</span> Train station in Virginia

Roanoke station is a train station in Roanoke, Virginia, the current southern terminus of Amtrak's Northeast Regional line. Built in 2017, it follows several other Roanoke passenger stations that operated from the 1850s to 1979. The unstaffed station consists of a single high-level platform with no station building or waiting room available for passengers. All tickets must be purchased in advance; there is no Quik-Trak kiosk at the station.

The Norlina Subdivision is a railroad line owned by CSX Transportation in the U.S. State of North Carolina. The line currently runs from Norlina, North Carolina, to Raleigh, North Carolina, for a total of 51.2 miles. At its north end the line comes to an end and at its south end the line continues north from the Aberdeen Subdivision. While the current line dates back to 1840, it has been known as the Norlina Subdivision since the 1970s. Under CSX's predecessor, the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad, the Norlina Subdivision continued north to Collier Yard near Petersburg, Virginia.

<i>Berkshire Flyer</i> Amtrak passenger train

The Berkshire Flyer is a seasonal Amtrak passenger train service between New York City and the Berkshire Mountains in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, via the Hudson Valley. The weekly train departs Penn Station on Friday afternoons during the summer and returns on Sundays. The route's 2023 season began on May 26 and will run through October 8 as the second year of a three-year pilot program.

The Seaboard Air Line Railroad’s Main Line was the backbone of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad's network in the southeastern United States. The main line ran from Richmond, Virginia to Tampa, Florida, a distance of over 800 miles. Along its route it passed through Petersburg, Raleigh, Columbia, Savannah, Jacksonville, and Ocala, Florida. While some segments of the line have been abandoned as of 2022, most of the line is still in service and is owned by the Seaboard Air Line's successor, CSX Transportation as their S Line.

References

  1. "ACL Passenger Service to Start at New Depot". The Progress-Index. Petersburg, Virginia. May 13, 1955. p. 11. Retrieved April 14, 2022 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  2. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2021: Commonwealth of Virginia" (PDF). Amtrak. August 2022. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
  3. Buettner, Michael (17 May 2017). "Feds propose moving Amtrak station out of Ettrick". The Progress-Index. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  4. Atkinson, Bill (6 July 2019). "Ettrick's Amtrak future appears back on track". Virginian-Pilot. The (Petersburg) Progress-Index. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  5. "Petersburg expands bus service to train station".
  6. "Petersburg, VA".
  7. Lazo, Luz (9 July 2022). "Virginia expands train service with two new Amtrak round trips". Washington Post. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
  8. "Amtrak Increases Daily Service to Norfolk" (Press release). Amtrak. June 21, 2022.
  9. https://railroads.dot.gov/sites/fra.dot.gov/files/fra_net/15274/SEHSR-R2R-Signed_FEIS.pdf [ bare URL PDF ]
  10. "NCDOT to buy CSX rail line between Raleigh and Ridgeway | Raleigh News & Observer". Archived from the original on 2020-09-19.

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Petersburg station at Wikimedia Commons