NPN Might Actually Be Getting Its New Station...

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Anderson

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There's been a low-temperature issue with the planned Newport News replacement station at Bland Blvd (namely, they apparently proceeded with planning but forgot to acquire the land, leaving them in a bit of a jam when the landowners dragged their feet) that appears to have been resolved: On my way into NPN this morning, there was a big sign announcing the new location coming in 2020. I'm betting on 2021 right now, given the delays thus far, but it is good to see the new station finally working its way to fruition.
 
Will this really be a replacement station, or an additional station? If a replacement, this doesn't look like a good location. It doesn't seem to be near downtown Newport News, or even at a transit center. City Center Blvd. looks like it would be a better location than Bland Blvd. One of the benefits of rail vs. flying is supposed to be arriving right downtown. The current Warwick Blvd. station isn't downtown either, but the new station location doesn't seem to be fixing that problem for Newport News.

However, I am not familiar with the area, having been there only once for a day or two. The Bland Blvd. location may be a good choice for some reason. Perhaps you could share with the group the rationale for that location.
 
My understanding is as follows:
-The current station is to be dropped. CSX really wants Amtrak out of the yard; at one point I think the reaction was variations on "Look, go ahead and add a third train if you get out of the yard!" I believe this attitude may have mellowed a bit.

-An early version of the plan had a station down around 35th Street (in "downtown"), albeit as an unstaffed/Quik-Trak only stop. This quietly went away. I believe that all versions eschewed the current stop, however.
 
The backstory I heard, many years ago, is that CSX's real estate people "accidentally" sold off a turning wye to Wal-Mart for a new store, and when the yard folks came in one day they found that the track was no longer there. That seems to have triggered the desperate "get out of NPN" push.
 
Some interesting goings-on down in my neck of the woods!
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I have no clue what changes have been made to the plans since I left, but previously they were talking about it being a high level platform as well, where the train would probably sit and get serviced as well.
 
I know that a turning loop is in the mix (with the station being "off-line" so as to not foul CSX operations). If the station is off-line, I think they would find quite a bit of trouble not having a high-level platform.
 
That area doesn't really have a downtown. The new location will be a multimodal transit center providing easy connections to what passes for local transit and the airport.
Easy connections to -- what! Yes local public transit is and has been not very good.

Hoping it will be better than 2012 -- when I rode 4 buses to get from Norfolk waterfront hotel to PHF and allowed 3.5 hours to get there (few miles, lotsa bayous) . The two "transit centers" where I waited for a half+ hours on the way not really user-friendly. Coulda got to ORF by taxi (or now, I guess, uber or lyft) but no bus or rail to ORF from anywhere on the peninsula, nor from Norfolk-Portsmouth either.

"multimodal transit center" near old or new NPN - it is to laugh!

Expect the new station may be better at serving the Navy officers and lobbyists who live on the peninsula and commute to DC. Enlisted and Huntington-Ingalls employees live as close to the shipyard as they can and sometimes ride Amtrak or fly via PHF (getting to ORF airport - naah -- if you can plan in advance.)

Asking -- what's the demographic for NPN? Like I said Navy officers and lobbyists. Who else?
 
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That area doesn't really have a downtown. The new location will be a multimodal transit center providing easy connections to what passes for local transit and the airport.
Easy connections to -- what! Yes local public transit is and has been not very good.
Hoping it will be better than 2012 -- when I rode 4 buses to get from Norfolk waterfront hotel to PHF and allowed 3.5 hours to get there (few miles, lotsa bayous) . The two "transit centers" where I waited for a half+ hours on the way not really user-friendly. Coulda got to ORF by taxi (or now, I guess, uber or lyft) but no bus or rail to ORF from anywhere on the peninsula, nor from Norfolk-Portsmouth either.

"multimodal transit center" near old or new NPN - it is to laugh!

Expect the new station may be better at serving the Navy officers and lobbyists who live on the peninsula and commute to DC. Enlisted and Huntington-Ingalls employees live as close to the shipyard as they can and sometimes ride Amtrak or fly via PHF (getting to ORF airport - naah -- if you can plan in advance.)

Asking -- what's the demographic for NPN? Like I said Navy officers and lobbyists. Who else?
Enlisted and officers live throughout the Peninsula and the Southside, no one group is concentrated in any one spot. As for NPNs demographics I would say they were the same as the entire regions. NPN has more trains at better times than NFK and a thruway bus connects the Southside to all NPN arrivals and departures.
As for public transportation this entire region is essentially devoid of it. As an example no busses run to the Norfolk Airport. The closest bus stop is at least a half mile from the terminal on a city street. As you know buses do run to the Newport News airport but that airport has a fraction of the flights that Norfolk has.
 
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That area doesn't really have a downtown. The new location will be a multimodal transit center providing easy connections to what passes for local transit and the airport.
Easy connections to -- what! Yes local public transit is and has been not very good.
Hoping it will be better than 2012 -- when I rode 4 buses to get from Norfolk waterfront hotel to PHF and allowed 3.5 hours to get there (few miles, lotsa bayous) . The two "transit centers" where I waited for a half+ hours on the way not really user-friendly. Coulda got to ORF by taxi (or now, I guess, uber or lyft) but no bus or rail to ORF from anywhere on the peninsula, nor from Norfolk-Portsmouth either.

"multimodal transit center" near old or new NPN - it is to laugh!

Expect the new station may be better at serving the Navy officers and lobbyists who live on the peninsula and commute to DC. Enlisted and Huntington-Ingalls employees live as close to the shipyard as they can and sometimes ride Amtrak or fly via PHF (getting to ORF airport - naah -- if you can plan in advance.)

Asking -- what's the demographic for NPN? Like I said Navy officers and lobbyists. Who else?
Enlisted and officers live throughout the Peninsula and the Southside, no one group is concentrated in any one spot. As for NPNs demographics I would say they were the same as the entire regions. NPN has more trains at better times than NFK and a thruway bus connects the Southside to all NPN arrivals and departures.
As for public transportation this entire region is essentially devoid of it. As an example no busses run to the Norfolk Airport. The closest bus stop is at least a half mile from the terminal on a city street. As you know buses do run to the Newport News airport but that airport has a fraction of the flights that Norfolk has.
Agree public transport in Hampton Roads is not real good (exists,but) me but I'm a "figure a way on buses" guy. My kid got me to Norfolk (Naval Station) on a "Tiger Cruise" from Mayport to Norfolk -- the navy base --

The fact thing is -- Hampton Roads is great Navy base. But all the rivers and estuaries make land-side connections really difficult, despite the many bridges, tunnels

I don't think the move of NPN will have any effect on ridership.

Zero.
 
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