Bedford station (Virginia)

Bedford station was an intercity rail station located in Bedford, Virginia. It was served by Norfolk and Western Railway passenger trains until 1971. It was later served by Amtrak's Mountaineer from 1975 to 1977, then the Hilltopper until 1979. The station building remains extant and is used as a restaurant.

Bedford, VA
Former Norfolk and Western Railway and Amtrak station
The Mountaineer at Bedford in March 1975
Location515 Bedford Avenue, Bedford, Virginia
Coordinates37°20′13.75″N 79°31′39.43″W
Platforms1 side platform
Tracks2
History
OpenedMarch 24, 1975[1]
ClosedApril 30, 1971
October 1, 1979[2]
Former services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Roanoke
toward Tri-State
 Hilltopper Lynchburg (Woodall Road)
toward Boston South
Roanoke
toward Chicago
 Mountaineer Lynchburg (Woodall Road)
toward Norfolk
Preceding station Norfolk and Western Railway Following station
Thaxton
toward Cincinnati
 Main Line Forest
toward Norfolk

History

The Virginia and Tennessee Railroad was built through Bedford in 1857; stations at Bedford were served for over a century. Even as local service petered out in the 1960s, the Norfolk and Western Railway (N&W) continued to run the crack Norfolk–Cincinnati Pocahontas and the local station counterpart on the same route, the Powhatan Arrow. The N&W also operated the Birmingham–Washington Birmingham Special (unnamed after February 1970 and cut back to Bristol in August 1970), the New Orleans-Washington Pelican (discontinued, 1970) and the Memphis-bound Tennessean. When Amtrak took over intercity passenger rail service on May 1, 1971, it chose not to continue service on these trains, thus ending service to Bedford.

Amtrak service

Service was restored on March 24, 1975 with the introduction of the Mountaineer service between Norfolk and Chicago.[1] The Mountaineer was replaced by the Hilltopper on June 1, 1977.[3] The Hilltopper was discontinued on October 1, 1979, ending rail service to Bedford for the second time.[2] The station building was later repurposed as a restaurant.

Proposed new service

Amtrak's Northeast Regional service was extended to Roanoke station on October 31, 2017. The town of Bedford requested an intermediate station stop, but this was denied because of low projected ridership. However, in 2016, the town hired a consultant to further study the potential for a station.[4]

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References
  1. "Amtrak's 'Mountaineer' makes first run today". Williamson Daily News. March 24, 1975. Retrieved 2011-12-15.
  2. Nagasaki, Hikki. "Bedford, Virginia". USA Rail Guide. TrainWeb.
  3. "Hilltopper Begins Service". Amtrak NEWS. 4 (11). 15 June 1977. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  4. Rochita, Amanada (4 February 2016). "Bedford hires company for study on possible Amtrak stop". WSLS 10 News. Retrieved 14 July 2016.


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