Amtrak's cancellation of train service for two days this week means a quiet Ettrick station
Capitol riots, risk of more trouble on Wednesday mean four trains that stop in Petersburg will not be running
Bill Atkinson
PETERSBURG — Planning on taking a train trip up north this week? As long as you are not going Tuesday or Wednesday, you should not have any problem.
Amtrak said last week it was "taking extra steps" to ensure passenger and employee safety Jan.19-20 by not allowing any Northeast Regional trains south of Washington. That means all of Virginia's stations — including Petersburg's terminal in Ettrick — will not be handling passengers those two days.
"After last week’s violent attack on the U.S. Capitol, we are taking extra steps to continue ensuring the safety of our employees and customers in Washington, D.C., and across our network, as we prepare for the Inauguration," Amtrak says in a statement on its website.
President-elect Joe Biden will be sworn in Wednesdayat the Capitol, which has become heavily fortified with National Guard personnel and other law-enforcement officers from Maryland, Virginia and the district. In the wake of the riots 11 days ago, unprecedented security has been put in place, including the closure of bridges between Washington and Virginia, and now the Amtrak announcement.
Five trains — Silver Star, Palmetto, Silver Meteor, Carolinian and the Auto Train — make up the Northeast Regional service. Of them, only the Auto Train does not stop in Ettrick.
Amtrak said the Carolnian will only run between Raleigh and Charlotte on thise two days. Auto Train service will not be affected.
Full service is expected to resume Thursday.
Amtrak said it has contacted passengers affected by the Tuesday and Wednesday cancellations to address schedule adjustments.
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Bill Atkinson (he/him) is the news director of The Progress-Index, located in his hometown of Petersburg, Va. He is also the breaking-news coordinator and has been known to "nerd out" over political news coverage and history. Contact Bill at batkinson@progress-index.com, and follow him on Twitter at @BAtkinson_PI, and subscribe to us at progress-index.com.