My oldest son is a high school junior, so we’re starting taking campus tours of universities. Our second destination was Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. I investigated our traveling options and decided that taking the Amtrak from Alexandria to Richmond was practical. It was over 15 years ago since my last Amtrak trip.
I purchased the tickets over two weeks in advance, so I was able to get the cheaper rates. I also took advantage of the Virginia Passenger Rail discount for my older son’s ticket. All told, it was $99 for Alexandria to Richmond and back for the three of us.
Alexandria Union Station
One of the charming things about living in Alexandria’s West End is the ambient sound of train whistles from the railroad tracks located about two miles from my home. I frequently hear Amtrak, Virginia Railway Express and freight trains and I’m regularly bicycling under and along the tracks traversing the south and east portions of our city.
Most if not all of these passenger trains service Alexandria’s Union Station, built in 1905, this small station on the western edge of Old Town. I have taken VRE to it several times, though I typically utilize Metro bus and rail. Alexandria Union Station is adjacent to Metro’s King Street station which services the Blue and Yellow lines as well as Metro and DASH bus service.
The morning of our journey, Train 67 was on track 2 which necessitated crossing two of the three tracks at grade. The station attendant guided customers across when it was safe. Otherwise, customers needed to go down to King Street and up the steps between the tracks.
A couple of other notes, we enjoyed a beautiful dawn waiting for our train after my wife dropped us off. I was a little wary of catching a bus that early in the morning with two kids. Thanks, honey.
Southbound
Train 67 arrived 10 minutes after scheduled departure. We didn’t have to be at our first appointment until noon, so I wasn’t too concerned. However, this flexible scheduling is why I didn’t use Amtrak to travel down to Charlottesville in 2022 when my son was at a coding camp at University of Virginia. I couldn’t risk missing the train.
We picked a great day to ride Amtrak down to Richmond. It was peak fall foliage in golden hour sunshine all the way to Fredericksburg. Other than a quick stop at Quantico, Train 67 rolled through at speed with views of the Potomac River to our east. It was a beautiful day for a train trip.
It was about an hour total to get to Fredericksburg from Alexandria which is comparable with driving down Interstate 95 and much more comfortable.
Beyond Fredericksburg, speeds were occasionally down as there seem to be more at grade crossings. The Potomac bent away to the Cheasapeake Bay as well, so it wasn’t quite as scenic.
At Ashland, the railroad goes right through or adjacent to Randolph-Macon College. It’s a little cute town.
Approaching Richmond, it starts looking a little more suburban out the window. The first stop, Staples Mill Road, actually sees more service than Main Street station. I’m curious about why this is and if more Main Street Station service would make more sense.
The final few miles between Statples Mill Road and Main Street are the slowest of the trip. I doubt we reached 30 MPH.Richmond Main Street Station
Following our exploration of VCU, we jumped on a Pulse Bus back to Main Street Station.
Main Street Station
Built in 1901, the Beaux Arts landmark is a beautiful old restored station. It’s located at the bottom of hill near the Virginia Capitol. The neighborhood to the east, Schokoe Bottom is a nightlife district. More conspicuously, it’s directly adjacent to the I-95/VA 195 Downtown Expressway interchange.
While the station is beautiful and apparently a popular events venue, it provides the functionality of a Amshack. There is only one open entrance to the facility, located off of E. Main Street. We found out the hard way after an ill-fated attempt to get a carry-out from the Schoke Bottom McDonalds several blocks away.
Boarding was disorganized. Like the main entrance to the station, there was only one way in, one way out to the platform. There was no signage (updated electric or acoustic) directing customers where to go. The platform itself was closed until the train arrived. It’s quite a contrast to Alexandria, a busier but much smaller station that has staff directing customers and allowing them to cross tracks 2 & 3 to get to the correct platform.
Once our train arrived, there was confusion between people exiting Train 182 and those wanting to board. There was some grumbling amongst the crowd, but it was a minor inconvenience.
Amtrak, the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority, city of Richmond needs to rethink how Main Street Station is operated. There is clearly demand for the service based on the hundreds of people there, so make it a better experience.
Northbound
Friday evening’s only departure from Main Street Station was crowded. In part due to the subpar boarding procedures, we had to settle for sharing seats at the end that face each other. That was a little tight, but thankfully, the fourth our group was a small woman.
While the conductor said the train was sold out, there were fair number of empty seats unoccupied seats, though no unoccupied rows.
Since it was dark, there wasn’t much to see. I stopped the cafe car though and picked up snacks for my sons and a drink for myself. Note – this isn’t an airline, so packing a little something for the journey is doable.
At Fredericksburg, the train started emptying out a little, so we were able to find a pair for my younger son and I to switch too. Ah, legroom, I missed you.
I noted on this trip that there are more at grade crossing between Rappahanock and Occoquan than I thought, though most appear to be associated with Quantico Marine Corps Base. Also, there was a Woodbridge stop headed northbound that part of the southbound journey.
We rolled into Alexandria Union Station on or near schedule. We walked down to King Street, under trestles and over to the bus bay at King Street Metro to catch a bus back to our West End neighborhood.
Conclusion
Overall, I’m glad we took Amtrak Alexandria to Richmond and back and would certainly consider doing so again. We probably had the best time of the year to make the trip with all the beautiful fall foliage. Not driving saved us to the hassle of parking and well, I-95 on a Friday. It was possible to get from my house to downtown Richmond with mass transit and a little bit of walking. That’s a big plus for me. In fact, I think with just one or two passengers, it’s a no-brainer as that’s likely comparable with gas and parking. If it were the four of us, driving would get more consideration.