Ashland Transportation Center

Coordinates: 38°28′51″N 82°38′22″W / 38.48083°N 82.63944°W / 38.48083; -82.63944
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Ashland, KY
Ashland Transportation Center
General information
Location99 15th Street
Ashland, Kentucky
United States
Coordinates38°28′51″N 82°38′22″W / 38.48083°N 82.63944°W / 38.48083; -82.63944
Owned byCSX Transportation & City of Ashland[1]
Line(s)CSX Kanawha Subdivision
Platforms1 side platform
Tracks2
ConnectionsBus transport Ashland Bus System
Bus transport Greyhound Lines
Construction
AccessibleYes
Other information
Station codeAmtrak: AKY
History
OpenedMarch 11, 1998
ClosedMarch 24, 1975
(Temporarily to Catlettsburg)
Passengers
FY 20221,350[2] (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
South Portsmouth–South Shore
toward Chicago
Cardinal Huntington
toward New York
Former services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Cincinnati (River Road)
toward Chicago
James Whitcomb Riley
1974–1975
Huntington
James Whitcomb Riley and George Washington
1971–1974
Huntington
Preceding station Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Following station
Russell
toward Cincinnati
Main Line Catlettsburg
Terminus AshlandElkhorn City Catlettsburg
Rush
toward Louisville
LouisvilleAshland Terminus
Location
Map

Ashland Transportation Center is an intermodal transit station in Ashland, Kentucky. Jointly operated by the City of Ashland and CSX Transportation, it currently serves Amtrak's Cardinal train as well as the Ashland Bus System and Greyhound Lines buses. It is located at 99 15th Street near downtown Ashland.

History

Chesapeake and Ohio era

The station is located in a former Chesapeake and Ohio Railway freight house originally built in the 1890s. Railway services formerly operated out of the Chesapeake and Ohio passenger station nearby (currently a PNC Bank branch). In the early 1960s the following named trains served the station daily: Fast Flying Virginian (west to Cincinnati, and sections east to Washington, D.C., and Newport News), George Washington (sections west to Cincinnati and Louisville, and sections east to Washington, D.C., and Newport News) and the Sportsman (northwest to Detroit, and sections east to Washington, D.C., and Newport News).[3] Prior to the 1971 shift of long-distance passenger train services from private companies to Amtrak, the C&O's George Washington had a main section going north to Columbus, Ohio and Detroit, Michigan, a section running west from Ashland to Louisville, and east-bound sections going to Washington, D.C., and Newport News.[4]

Amtrak era

In 1975, Amtrak abandoned the original station (which served the daily James Whitcomb Riley train) in favor of nearby Tri-State Station in Catlettsburg. The city purchased the former freight house in 1997 using more than $500,000 in federal funds obtained through the Intermodal Surface Transportation Enhancement Act of 1991 in order to restore it as an intermodal transit station serving rail as well as buses.[1] Amtrak moved rail services to the restored facility on March 11, 1998.[5][1]

The station is jointly owned by the City of Ashland and CSX Transportation and is operated in co-operation with the city, Amtrak, Greyhound Lines and the Ashland Bus System. The station has an enclosed waiting area with restrooms and water fountains, but no Amtrak station services area available. There is a Greyhound ticket agent available at specified times. The station serves Amtrak's Cardinal, trains 50 and 51. The tracks at the station are currently owned by CSX Transportation.

References

  1. ^ a b c "Great American Stations: Ashland, KY (AKY)". Amtrak. Retrieved August 24, 2013.
  2. ^ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2022: Commonwealth of Kentucky" (PDF). Amtrak. June 2023. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  3. ^ "Chesapeake & Ohio, Tables 1, 2". Official Guide of the Railways. 93 (9). National Railway Publication Company. January 1961.
  4. ^ "Chesapeake & Ohio, Table 1". Official Guide of the Railways. 102 (12). National Railway Publication Company. May 1970.
  5. ^ "State hit by blast of cold temperatures". The Harlan Daily Enterprise. The Associated Press. March 12, 1998. Retrieved August 24, 2013.

External links