Norfolk Amtrak service to launch ahead of schedule

摘要

In mid-January, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell announced the start of the Amtrak Virginia extension to and from Norfolk will begin by Dec. 31 - about 10 months earlier than originally planned.The Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern Railway and Norfolk city officials have been working "speedily" to complete necessary upgrades to begin the service, Amtrak and state officials said in a prepared statement issued on Jan. 18.The round-trip train will bring intercity passenger-rail service to Norfolk for the first time since 1977. The service will link Norfolk riders to stops in Richmond, Va., Washington, D.C., and other cities as far north as Boston."This service will provide immediate relief to road weary travelers between two of the state's most congested regions," McDonnell said.