It’s been more than 50 years since a passenger train last stopped in Bedford County, but new funding could bring Amtrak service back to town. Bedford received nearly $1.5 million in federal grant money towards a potential passenger rail station.
“The rail stop would connect us more to the outside area and connect others to here, so it’s really exciting for that reason,” said Mary Zirkle, the Director of Planning and Community Development for Bedford.
The last passenger train departed Bedford in 1971. Now, with a new federal grant and a $375,000 contribution from the town, local officials enter the second phase of a new Amtrak project. Zirkle told 10 News the first phase, completed in 2021, included studies showing Bedford could contribute ridership to an Amtrak line.
“That was based on several surveys that were conducted by the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation,” Zirkle said. “So, we’re really excited to have the opportunity to bring people in and to also help our residents connect out.”
The second phase includes funding new studies focused solely on the environmental feasibility of a station which would be located on Macon Street. The funds received will also be used to develop a preliminary design for the site.
For residents like Michele Martin, who has lived in Bedford her entire life, the hope is for the project to continue moving forward.
“I was probably younger than when they took it away, but I do remember it being there,” Martin said. “And it would be awesome if they would bring it back here.”
The effort comes as Virginia invests $7 billion in expanding rail service statewide over the next six years. That plan includes a new Amtrak stop in Christiansburg by 2027. Bedford leaders hope the town’s central location between Roanoke and Lynchburg makes it a strong candidate for an additional stop. Zirkle believes it could attract new businesses and boost tourism, driving economic growth for the town.
“Tourism is big for us here in the town and the county,” Zirkle said. “We also have a new Hampton Inn and Suites currently under construction, so we’re ready for this. It’s just a matter of creating one other way for people to get to Bedford, and this is how we think we could do it.”
While the exact timeline remains uncertain, Bedford officials have two years to complete the planning phase. After that, it will be up to Amtrak and state transportation partners to decide whether the project advances to phase three, the construction phase.
For now, the town remains optimistic about restoring a piece of its transportation history.
“I have outside family that don’t live here,” Martin said. “They can ride the Amtrak train from where they are to here. Then we can go around and look at historical places here, especially like the D-Day Memorial.”