Amtrak said 2,770 people boarded in Roanoke during the first 30 days after the passenger railroad resumed running trains here, from Oct. 31 through Nov. 30.
That equated to 92 riders a day.
The ridership forecast is for 38,000 riders during the first year, according to Amtrak. That would equate to 104 riders a day.
Amtrak officials said they anticipate ridership to shift with the seasons. For example, ridership on the system usually goes up around Thanksgiving and spring break and drops in January and February, Amtrak spokeswoman Kimberly Woods said.
Amtrak passenger trains bypassed Roanoke between 1979 and this Halloween. That’s when Amtrak, the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation and Norfolk Southern agreed the service would resume.
Amtrak provides a single outbound and inbound train seven days a week. The boarding platform stands beside Norfolk Avenue.
Amtrak’s number is 800-872-7245.
Source: Amtrak reports first month’s ridership | Business | roanoke.com