Blue Ridge (train)
Overview | |||
---|---|---|---|
Service type | Commuter rail | ||
Status | Transferred to MTA Maryland | ||
Locale | West Virginia | ||
Predecessor | Potomac Special | ||
First service | May 7, 1973 | ||
Last service | 1986 | ||
Successor | Brunswick Line (MARC Train) | ||
Former operator(s) | Amtrak | ||
Route | |||
Start | Washington, D.C | ||
Stops | 9 | ||
End | Cumberland, Maryland | ||
Distance travelled | 143 mi (230 km) | ||
Average journey time | 3 hours, 5 minutes | ||
Service frequency | Daily | ||
Train number(s) | 701–704 | ||
On-board services | |||
Class(es) | Unreserved coach | ||
Technical | |||
Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) | ||
Track owner(s) | B&O Railroad | ||
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The Blue Ridge was a daily Amtrak passenger train that operated between Washington, D.C. and Cumberland, Maryland (Martinsburg, West Virginia after 1976). Service began in 1973; it was merged into the MARC Brunswick Line commuter rail service in 1986.
History[]
The Blue Ridge was introduced on May 7, 1973, as a replacement for the Potomac Special. It was curtailed from the Potomac Special terminus of Parkersburg, West Virginia to Cumberland, and retimed to better serve commuters.[1] In December 1975, the Blue Ridge became the first train outside the Northeast Corridor to receive new Amfleet coaches.[1] The Blue Ridge was truncated to Martinsburg on October 31, 1976 upon the introduction of the Washington–Cincinnati, Ohio Shenandoah.[2][1] Weekend service was dropped on October 1, 1981 amid cuts to Amtrak services.[3]
In 1986, Amtrak transferred the Blue Ridge to the Maryland Mass Transit Administration (now the Maryland Transit Administration), who incorporated it into the MARC Brunswick Line.[4] As part of the transfer, Amtrak agreed to subsidize the train for five years.[5] MARC continued to use the name during the late 1980s.[citation needed]
Notes[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c West Virginia Department of Transportation, State Rail Authority (March 12, 2013). "West Virginia State Rail Plan: Intercity Service Review". pp. 4–6. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014.
- ^ Sanders 2006, p. 68
- ^ Hebert, H. Josef (August 26, 1981). "New Amtrak Network Keeps Most of System Intact". Associated Press.
- ^ Reynolds & Oroszi 2000, pp. 126–127
- ^ West Virginia Department of Transportation, State Rail Authority (March 12, 2013). "West Virginia State Rail Plan: Maryland Area Regional Commuter Service". p. 2. Archived from the original on 2016-10-07. Retrieved 2014-10-05.
References[]
- Reynolds, Kirk; Oroszi, Dave (2000). Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. Osceola, WI: MBI. ISBN 0760307466. OCLC 42764520.
- Sanders, Craig (2006). Amtrak in the Heartland. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-34705-3.
External links[]
Media related to Blue Ridge (train) at Wikimedia Commons
- Former Amtrak routes
- Passenger rail transportation in Maryland
- Passenger rail transportation in Washington, D.C.
- Passenger rail transportation in West Virginia
- Railway services introduced in 1973
- Railway services discontinued in 1986
- Martinsburg, West Virginia