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PimpOfJoytime t1_iycziek wrote

Reply to comment by bruxalle in Amtrak Ridership Up through Richmond by pizzatongs

I think what we’re seeing is more a return to pre-pandemic tourism norms. I don’t see a flood of 2021 NoVa remote workers accounting for 93,000 riders.

Like the first thing they all want to do after moving down here is… go back? I think no.

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Clean-Independent129 t1_iyd1kxm wrote

I'm one of those infamous former-Nova folk who is happy to use the train to go back and forth between WAS and RIC via train. Sometimes you want to avoid 95 and visit friends/family/museums/bigcitystuff and the train is an easy decision to make. Also, if you only have to go into the office for meetings a few times a month, Richmond makes a lot of sense for someone priced out of the close-in neighborhoods. I love my new home, but easy rail access to DC is part of Richmond's appeal.

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DefaultSubsAreTerrib t1_iyd33vy wrote

> easy rail access to DC

I wish it were a bit easier. It should take 1 hour, not 3 hours.

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jodyhighrola t1_iyd4wti wrote

If they can manage to get dedicated rail lines, and get the higher speed engines south of DC, this place is going to be fully absorbed into the NE megalopolis. It's currently a dingleberry.

I don't mind the 3hr ride, but when the train is crawling through certain stretches of it, it feels like you're paying for a shit-tier service.

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DefaultSubsAreTerrib t1_iyeap43 wrote

> It's currently a dingleberry.

Some people hope Richmond will remain a dingleberry forever.

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Diet_Coke t1_iyd4bxa wrote

If we were a modern developed country with high speed rail, it could be a 20 minute ride

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Capable-Site-301 t1_iye20wh wrote

They apparently looked at the possibility of a maglev from Richmond to DC and decided it wasn't cost effective. So the 20 minute train idea won't happen in our lifetimes, if ever.

But a non-maglev, higher speed rail would still be amazing, even moreso if they could extend it all the way to the Hampton Roads area. But even that is probably at least a decade away from happening.

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systematical t1_iydmo0p wrote

I take it just to avoid I-95. Plus if you are getting a room in DC finding one with parking is a hassle and more expensive. Driving in DC isn't my idea of a nice weekend getaway either.

It would be nice if they added a dedicated Richmond to Union Station option with no stops to decrease the ride length.

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MiloAshworthy t1_iyd00ix wrote

At that rate that's an Average daily ridership of 265 ish passengers. It's absolutely related to the amount of DC based employees seeking not DC real estate prices.

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bruxalle t1_iyd03zz wrote

It’s certainly possible, we’d have to know the years previous to this chart for that. Also, I believe the ridership number is the number of tickets, not riders. I’d bet many of those are repeat rides.

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