Ashland station (Virginia)

Ashland is an Amtrak intercity train station in Ashland, Virginia, serving Northeast Regional trains bound for Richmond, Newport News and Norfolk as well as many points south. The station is also designated as Ashland's visitor center. The tracks are lined with a cobblestone median in the center of town, making it a popular train-watching site for railfans.

Ashland, VA
Ashland Station & Visitor Center
Location112 North Railroad Avenue
Ashland, Virginia
Coordinates37.7596°N 77.4812°W / 37.7596; -77.4812
Line(s)RF&P Subdivision
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks2
Other information
Station codeASD
History
Opened1866
Rebuilt1890, 1923, 1985
Traffic
Passengers (2017)30,892[1]  10% (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Richmond Staples Mill Road
toward Norfolk or Newport News
 Northeast Regional Fredericksburg
toward Boston South or Springfield

History
The Silver Comet stopping at Ashland on November 28, 1968

The station was built by the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad in 1923, replacing a station which was originally built in 1866 and rebuilt in 1890. The station was closed in 1967, but reopened in 1985.[2] It was originally served by the Colonial, and through numerous route changes over the years is now served by Hampton Roads-bound Northeast Regionals.

The Ashland station was racially segregated, like many railroad stations in the Southeastern U.S. built before the 1960s. It had separate waiting rooms for whites and blacks, served by a single ticket booth in the center of the building. The former black waiting room is now a museum filled with various RF&P railroad artifacts, including blueprints, model railroad trains, a bench that was once on display at the Smithsonian Museum, local newspaper and locally related magazine articles.

As of 2019, the station platform is being renovated in order to comply with ADA requirements. [3]

References
  1. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, FY2017, Commonwealth of Virginia" (PDF). Amtrak Government Affairs. November 2017. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  2. Bowes, Mark (June 14, 1985). "Back on Track". Richmond News Leader.
  3. https://www.ashlandva.gov/567/Amtrak-Project
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