Southwest Virginians know too well the downsides of globalization when it comes to manufacturing jobs.įor decades, they have watched long-running textile and furniture manufacturers shutter factories as their owners moved their operations to new locations with lower labor costs. Posted in Business, NRV, Roanoke How advanced manufacturing brought western Virginia out of the recession (Roanoke Business) Read my story about their efforts at Roanoke Business. Now, rail fans in the New River Valley and Bristol metropolitan areas hope to bring those benefits to their localities, too. While short-term construction and engineering jobs come with the line’s upgrades and related construction, that growth in visitors creates potential for a larger, more durable ripple, especially in the restaurant and hospitality industries. Local governments also desire the economic boost that goes with passenger rail, which tends to create a 3-to-5 percent growth in the number of annual visitors.
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The Lynchburg extension, which began regular daily service in 2009, outperformed expectations and sparked momentum that lead to the push westward to Roanoke.Īmtrak estimates it generates a national economic impact of $7.9 billion annually, supporting more than 110,000 jobs through its daily operations plus tourism and supplier impacts. The commonwealth invests in state-funded train extensions that run to Lynchburg, Richmond, Norfolk and Newport News. The service arrives as part of Amtrak’s extensions of its Northeast Regional service into Virginia.
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Even as the Star City prepares to celebrate the return of passenger rail for the first time in more than 34 years, its neighbors to the southwest already are pushing to extend the service. Amtrak is running on schedule for its arrival in Roanoke next fall.