Previous service By the time
Amtrak took over intercity passenger service in the United States on May 1, 1971, the
Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O) served Newport News with three daily round trips: the
Charlottesville–Newport News sections of the
George Washington and
Fast Flying Virginian /
Sportsman, plus a Newport News–
Richmond trip. Amtrak kept only one daily round trip to Newport News — a section of the Washington–
Cincinnati George Washington. The
George Washington was combined with the
James Whitcomb Riley on July 12, 1971, to provide through service to Chicago. The Newport News section was lightly used — usually not filling a single coach—and passengers between the
Tidewater region and the Northeast had to transfer at Charlottesville. It used new
Amfleet coaches, unlike the aging ex-C&O passenger cars used on the
Riley. On February 15, 1977, all
Colonial service was extended to Boston. Northbound Sunday service changed on May 1, 1977: the
Colonial began to originate at Richmond, while the several-hours-later
Senator originated at Newport News. A stop at
Lee Hall was added on October 30, 1977. Beginning on July 30, 1978, northbound Sunday service became the Newport News-New York City
Tidewater, and the
Senator returned to its previous schedule. On January 4, 1987, the northbound
Colonial collided with Conrail locomotives in Maryland, killing fourteen passengers and two Amtrak employees. By the early 1980s, Richmond was served by the
Colonial/
Tidewater plus three long-distance trains—the
Palmetto,
Silver Meteor, and
Silver Star. Because the long-distance trains frequently ran late, only the
Colonial/
Tidewater provided reliable northbound service from Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Quantico. On October 28, 1984, Amtrak added the daily Richmond–New York
Virginian, which was timed to allow commuting to Washington. On April 28, 1985, the northbound Sunday
Virginian was moved two hours later as the
Potomac. The
Potomac was discontinued on September 15, 1988; the
Colonial began running from Richmond to Boston on Sundays, with the
Tidewater continuing to provide Sunday northbound service from Newport News. The April 1990 extension of one
Atlantic City Express train to Richmond and the April 1991 separation of the New York–
Charlotte Carolinian from the
Palmetto increased Washington-Richmond service to seven daily round trips.
Later service Amtrak made a series of changes to corridor service in Virginia beginning on 1992. On October 25, 1992, both the
Virginian and
Colonial were cut back from Boston to New York City, and the latter was renamed
Old Dominion. A Friday
Tidewater round trip was also added. May 2, 1993 saw the additional of
Tidewater round trips on Thursday and Saturday southbound / Sunday northbound, plus a southbound-only Sunday trip from Richmond to Newport News. A station stop was added at
Williamsburg Pottery Factory. Service levels of the added weekend round trips were adjusted the next February. The southbound weekend
Virginian became the
Chesapeake on May 1, 1994, with the northbound weekend
Old Dominion in turn renamed
Virginian. On October 30, 1994, the Sunday Richmond–Newport News trip and a late Friday Newport News-Richmond move (a former
deadhead move) were called the
James River. Amtrak began showing Virginia services as part of
Northeast Corridor timetables on April 2, 1995. The
Old Dominion and
Virginian were renamed
New England Express and the Lee Hall stop was dropped. A daily Richmond–New York City round trip — the southbound
Chesapeake made daily and a new northbound
Old Dominion — was added to replace the discontinued
Amtrak City Express. On September 10, 1995, the northbound
New England Express was renamed
Tidewater Express (except for a single Sunday trip from Springfield, which became the
Old Dominion), and the northbound
Old Dominion was replaced with the
Manhattan Express. On October 28, 1995, most of Amtrak's
Northeast Corridor services (except for the premium
Metroliners and commuter-based
Clockers), including the Richmond and Newport News trains, were rebranded as
NortheastDirect and lost their individual names. Train names were re-added under the
NortheastDirect brand the next year. The Williamsburg Pottery Factory stop was also discontinued in 1996. On July 10, 1997, the Washington–Boston
Night Owl was replaced by the Newport News–Boston
Twilight Shoreliner, providing a second daily round trip to Newport News. The
Bay State was cut back to Washington and replaced by the Springfield–Richmond
Charter Oak, and the
Potomac was renamed
Gotham Limited. On October 26, 1997, the
Chesapeake was cut to New York and renamed
Colonial.
NortheastDirect trains except for the
Twilight Shoreliner again lost their individual names on May 16, 1999. The
NortheastDirect brand — including the Virginia trains — was renamed
Acela Regional in 2000–2001,
Regional in 2003, and finally
Northeast Regional in 2008. ==References==