Charlottesville

Other than the softer seats, I do not think the Amtrak station in Charlottesville has changed much if at all. And that may not be a bad thing. Even better is that his Amtrak station has parking. You may not even need it because the station is centrally located between the University and downtown Charlottesville. Not a bad place to hop a train to NYC.

Charlottesville is easy to reach via Amtrak. Then it is only a few blocks walk to the University of Virginia or downtown Charlottesville. Several hotels on Main Street within walking distance of station.

Friendly stuff and well-maintained old train station. The restrooms are clean and the parking lot is big enough.The location is great, just between the downtown and the university and with access to the public bus network. It would be nice if there were announcements screens for train arrivals and departures. The platforms are not covered and are low, making boarding slow and difficult (especially if you have heavy luggage.

It was a beautiful little station, with a beautiful little church down the street. It felt good to stretch my legs and use a real bathroom. The luggage attendant gets to drive a cute little yellow luggage cart around all day. I should have taken a picture of the church, too late now.

The train ride from Cville to Alexandra was fine, the ride home was another story. 45 minutes late and we truly believe that the train was over sold. People were having to sit in the cafe. Then they were moving people around the train based off where they were going. Maybe to keep themselves organized, but it was confusing to the majority. They don’t offer a hand to help down those small steep steps either.

Good staff at the old station, not teally big, just medium size, the parking lot is big

Really nice setting for the Amtrak station, a bit of a hike to town but not too bad.

This is such an odd place. First, the positives: The staff are very friendly and do the best they can with the station and the train service they have. The restrooms are clean. Parking is expensive but always available, which makes pickups easy. The location is great, right in the center of town equidistant between the university area and the downtown mall. However, the station is a relic from the 19th century. Neither platforms are covered (except for a narrow, pigeon-infested bridge underpass section) and both are low platforms that make boarding slow because a conductor is required at each open door. I don't understand the barrier to a raised platform that would allow for easier and faster boarding. Handicap accessibility is minimal and requires a hand crank elevator for access, which doesn't even fully extend to the height of the train on the secondary platform. That platform is just a rough patch of asphalt. This station makes me a bit sad. Likewise, the train service is very spotty. There are two slow trains a day to DC, though one is often delayed because of a long journey from Louisiana. It is much nicer than driving and gets you right into DC by mid morning, but I wish there were more options.