Bedford station (Virginia)

Bedford, VA
The Mountaineer at Bedford in March 1975
General information
Location	515 Bedford Avenue Bedford, Virginia
Coordinates	37°20′13.75″N 79°31′39.43″W
Platforms	1 side platform
Tracks	2
History
Opened	March 24, 1975[1]
Opening	2025 (planned)[2]
Closed	April 30, 1971 October 1, 1979[3]
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
Future services[2]
Preceding station Amtrak Following station Roanoke toward Christiansburg Northeast Regional Lynchburg toward Boston South or Springfield

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.

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.^[4] The Hilltopper was discontinued on October 1, 1979, ending rail service to Bedford for the second time.^[3] 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.^[5]

In 2021, a study for the restoration of Bedford station was finally completed. The new station would take $10.9 million to complete. The Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation estimated ridership at a restored Bedford station at 10,050 new riders per year (28 per day).^[2]

In October 2024, the town was awarded a $1.5 million federal grant to build for project development.^[6]

References

1. "Amtrak's 'Mountaineer' makes first run today". Williamson Daily News. March 24, 1975. Retrieved December 15, 2011.
2. Smith, Rachael. "Rail stop in Bedford becomes more realistic after study is completed". NewsAdvance.com. No. October 26, 2021. Archived from the original on October 27, 2021. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
3. Nagasaki, Hikki. "Bedford, Virginia". USA Rail Guide. TrainWeb. Archived from the original on August 27, 2016. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
4. "Hilltopper Begins Service". Amtrak News. 4 (11). June 15, 1977. Archived from the original on October 16, 2015. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
5. Rochita, Amanada (February 4, 2016). "Bedford hires company for study on possible Amtrak stop". WSLS 10 News. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
6. "FY 2023-2024 Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Grant Program: Project Summaries" (PDF). Federal Railroad Administration. p. 24.

External links

• Citizens For a Bedford Train Station Archived September 21, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
• Liberty Station Restaurant
• TrainWeb USA Rail Guide – Bedford Archived August 27, 2016, at the Wayback Machine