article on Smartway Bus in yesterday's Roanoke Times discussion (Norfolk: how much, hotel)

[tignor]

There was an article in yesterday's paper (section A page 7) about the new bus service from Roanoke to Lynchburg's train station. Another step toward train service - Roanoke.com

A couple of passages caught my attention:
"If everything goes as planned, they will arrive about 25 minutes before the train is scheduled to leave the station."
This makes me nervous. Sounds like there is a possibility of missing the train if there is an accident on 460, or even between the NRV and Roanoke.

"State Senator John Edwards and state officials have repeatedly told passenger rail fans that a bus service between Roanoke and Lynchburg could drive demand and help prove the potential of a rail connection.
In a prepared release, Roanoke Mayor David Bowers said Monday: "This is an important first step in demonstrating to Amtrak the demand for passenger rail service to Roanoke"
So...we need to take the bus to "show" that we want Amtrak in Roanoke, otherwise we won't get it. At least that's what it implies. Is public outcry not enough?

No mention of if parking our cars at the Civic Center would be allowed, or if you can buy tickets to this bus in advance. I assume that if the bus is full, you could still drive to Lynchburg yourself, but what happens if you take the bus there, but the bus has too many wanting to ride it back to Roanoke? It only seats 12 and I don't want to be stranded at the Lynchburg train station at 10:30 at night if there are more than 12 wanting to ride it back to Roanoke!

I'd really like to take this bus, if it means that our riding it will help with the decision to expand rail to Roanoke (to me, a no-brainer as the train from Lynchburg has been more successful than they expected, plus Roanoke is the biggest city in Virginia without passenger rail service), but I still wonder if this bus wasn't created to squash the idea that some lawmakers don't want to put the money into it. We are taking the train in September and we will keep a close eye on the reliability of the service before making our decision.

The train is safer, calmer, cheaper and greener than driving--for ALL concerned, even the state will benefit as it means less wear and tear on the roads if the train is used. It frees the interstates up for truckers. I do not understand why they aren't doing everything they can to bring rain to Roanoke. A bus to the Lynchburg station just may not cut it, but I'm also afraid if we don't use it that the empty bus will be ammunition for those politicians who don't want to bring rail to us.

[roanoker 4]

I share your comments about the bus to Lynchburg. Transportation is too important of an issue to have any doubts about whether you will be kicked off the bus or if there is an accident somewhere. I would hate to be stranded at the Kemper Street Station, especially at night! It is not easy to get alternate
transportation from Lynchburg to Roanoke or vice-versa, what a potential nightmare! As a former travel agent years ago I have seen the sad decline of Amtrak. There has always been demand in this area for rail but when we told
clients there was no passenger rail service here, they forgot about the train.
If I were a passenger concerned about these issues at Lynchburg I would seriously consider another form of transportation at this time. From my observations, Amtrak is is in the same category as riding the Greyhound bus.

[roanoker 4]

From my experience working with Amtrak I would suggest someone take a short trip on the train like from Lynchburg to DC or NYC and see if that mode of travel is for them before taking off on a long cross country journey. Generally, the trains and tracks are old and run down everywhere. Americans have as of yet embraced train travel but eventually they will when other means of travel become out of reach for most.

[sregorat3]

roanoker4- obviously no love for the Lynchburg station from you, though it is actually pretty nice... and is open all night, so it isn't too scary if you are waiting for someone. Secondly, you need to hop on the Northeast Corridor train while it is still in operation. It is heavily used, and is a profitable route from end to end. It is also a big step up from Greyhound. As a former travel agent, have you no memory of how much wider a train is than a bus? Wide seats make a big difference in comfort. The train is a good bit faster than Greyhound, as well.

[roanoker 4]

When I was a kid my Dad had a Norfolk & Western pass which allowed free rail travel on the N&W system from Roanoke to New York City and throughout their system. I believe there was another train that left Lynchburg at that time but there was a train that went from Roanoke- Lynchburg - eastward. As a kid(you can tell I'm not young anymore). I would enjoy walking through all of the cars ending up at the luxurious dining car. The trains in those days even had sleeper cars for longer journeys. The Roanoke station had passenger trains going in all directions. It was probably busier than the airport in those days(late '50's). The Roanoke rail station(now the O.Winston Link Museum)was a marvelous(and still is)a wonderful piece of architecture designed by Raymond Loewy. I can only imagine passenger rail at that station one day once more. But yes, I remember passenger rail cars being wider but the overall experience for me is negative for the entire Amtrak system at this point. I am glad there is a nice new regional train that is nice and I hope it continues but overall Amtrak is poor, in my opinion. I guess passenger rail can only improve and maybe now we are seeing
the potential of more passenger trains. Lets hope the interest continues as more people have access to this form of transportation!

[roanoker 4]

Raymond Loewy - Roanoke Train Station

There is an interesting exhibit on the main level about this building. Today it is the O Winston Link Museum of rail photos, history of trains in Roanoke.

As everyone knows trains built Roanoke so there will always be deep passions for the return of passenger rail here. Not to put down the Lynchburg station but the heart and soul of rail travel is just not there like in Roanoke. Historically, Lynchburg didn't want the rail to begin with so it came to Roanoke.
After the civil war era Lynchburg was a flourishing business center so it felt trains were better suited for Roanoke.

[tignor]

There are so many pros to Amtrak vs. driving or flying. I wouldn't take it myself for cross country trips, but when the train--which is nice and comfortable and doesn't smell like a sewer like a Greyhound bus--takes the same amount of time all told (a little over 7 hours), is cheaper, more relaxed and you can bring MUCH more luggage than on a plane (and a box of wine, a luxury we loved as we like to drink wine in our hotel room with pizza or dessert, and buying it in these cities you about break the bank), I'll take Amtrak over flying to NYC or DC any day.

I think it's a pity that we don't have rail service to Roanoke. It's greener, cheaper, safer--you can't compare it to Greyhound which is scary, noisy, uncomfortable and smelly. Eco alone our lawmakers should be fighting it! It would remove cars from interstates (and thus control the accidents) as well as be better for our overall health and planet. Not only that, but Roanoke was MADE by rail, so it's just bizarre to me they wouldn't be working hard to bring it back.

A bus, though, which is unreliable and raises too many questions, just won't cut it. I'm afraid if we don't use the bus, those PTB will use it against bringing rail, but I worry that it won't make the train on time or our car would be towed from the civic center parking lot. The website still says nothing about this bus service.

Just checked the schedule. There are 2 buses leaving the Lynchburg station for Roanoke: 7:20 pm and 9:00 pm. Our train from NYC arrives, get this, 7:39 pm. So--we have to wait for an hour and a half? After JUST missing the bus? This is nuts. There are 2 trains that come into Lynchburg--you'd think they would have arranged the timing just a little bit better. Guess we'll be driving to the station after all, and if they are using this data to see if people in Roanoke want the train, they are crazy.

[roanoker 4]

There is an old saying "You can't see the forest for the trees" is certainly the
saga when it comes to passenger rail for Roanoke. The politicians in this state(and nation) are bought out by big money interests who represent folks
who build highways, sell cars, homebuilders, railroad CEO's, etc who do not want passenger rail. Period. Forget the peoples' needs, forget the environment, pretend the future is not going to happen is their rallying cry. Sound too familiar these days?

[springgrl]

Originally Posted by tignor

Just checked the schedule. There are 2 buses leaving the Lynchburg station for Roanoke: 7:20 pm and 9:00 pm. Our train from NYC arrives, get this, 7:39 pm. So--we have to wait for an hour and a half? After JUST missing the bus? This is nuts. There are 2 trains that come into Lynchburg--you'd think they would have arranged the timing just a little bit better. Guess we'll be driving to the station after all, and if they are using this data to see if people in Roanoke want the train, they are crazy.

What are they thinking? Is it possible that's when the bus leaves Roanoke to head to the station for pickup? The Regional gets in around 8:30 Sun - Fri (~7:30 on Sat.) and the Crescent gets in around 10, so, yes, that timing is completely off for both options!

[tignor]

Originally Posted by springgrl

What are they thinking? Is it possible that's when the bus leaves Roanoke to head to the station for pickup? The Regional gets in around 8:30 Sun - Fri (~7:30 on Sat.) and the Crescent gets in around 10, so, yes, that timing is completely off for both options!

You are right--I'm not used to coming back on a Saturday. So, turns out I'm the crazy one--the bus on Saturday leaves Lynchburg at 7:50, which means they are giving us a whole 11 minutes to debark the train, gather our belongings, and go up those stairs. It's not impossible unless the train is a little late--both times we've taken it it was about 20 minutes late getting into Lynchburg. The Smartway Bus website does say "Lynchburg to Blacksburg times may be delayed if train is delayed." so they will wait for the train to arrive.

Also, you do buy your bus tickets in advance at the Metro Station downtown, so that question is answered. Nothing on the website about parking being allowed for days at the Civic Center. I called Valley Metro and was told that "there is supposed to be an area designated for those cars."
Still, I'd really like to hear from someone else who will take the plunge taking this bus before I sign myself up.