Why aren't there more passenger trains in Virginia?

Episode Notes

Our episode about everything passenger rail in Virginia. From the history of rail in the state, to why our trains aren't as fast as Europe's, to some of the improvements to the rail system on the horizon, we discuss the ins and outs of rail travel in the Commonwealth.

Special thanks to the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority and the C & O Historical Society!

Sources https://www.amtrak.com/amtrak-history-1970s https://www.aar.org/chronology-of-americas-freight-railroads/ https://enotrans.org/article/amtrak-at-50-the-rail-passenger-service-act-of-1970/ https://vapassengerrailauthority.org/amtrak-virginia-sets-all-time-record-with-2024-ridership/ https://www.vre.org/assets/1/6/2024_CEO_Report_May.pdf https://www.vre.org/about/ https://www.vre.org/assets/1/6/VRE_FY_2025_Budget.pdf https://www.wmata.com/about/history/ https://wmata.com/initiatives/budget/upload/Remediated-FY2025-Approved-Budget-FINAL.pdf https://virginiamercury.com/briefs/va-transportation-board-approves-railway-sale-to-support-southwest-va-passenger-rail-expansion/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clifton_Forge https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alleghany_County,_Virginia