Ashland

This is a great place to visit, work, and live. Wonderful parks, amazing residents, and awesome Town staff live and work here. Downtown Ashland is great for a stroll and a bite to eat. It right on 95 and has easy access to all directions.

Not bad

If you have the choice between taking a train out of Ashland or one of the two Richmond stations, do yourself the favor and use Ashland! This is officially an unmanned Amtrak station, so you'll need to buy your tickets online (or on board the train if available). The station doubles as the town visitor center, so water and restrooms are available during limited hours. The folks at the visitor center are knowledgeable and some of the friendliest people you'll meet.nnNortheast Regional trains running northbound generally arrive on time or even a few minutes early. I recommend arriving about 10-15 minutes before scheduled departure to grab parking, get to the station, and figure out which side of the tracks to stand on. The cafe car on these trains usually closes around Woodbridge or Quantico. Of course you can bring your own drinks and snacks aboard, but if you want to make a purchase on board consider Fredericksburg your last reminder. There are various shops and restaurants near the Ashland station you might pop into before boarding.nnComing southbound from DC, expect to leave Union Station around 10-20 minutes late pretty consistently, but some of that is often made up along the way.nnThere is no baggage service; carry-ons only. Anyone who's been on Amtrak will tell you they're pretty forgiving about how much stuff you bring and how big it is. The train crew will assist you with getting on and off with your bags.nnAmple free parking is available near the visitor center. Some of this was recently changed to 2-hour parking so watch the signs, but it's still pretty easy to grab a space near the station. There's a map of free vs timed parking posted on the wall outside the visitor center if you want to confirm your selection. Crime is low and traffic is generally light around the station; your vehicle should be fine. I don't believe it's technically allowed, I have also left my car in one of the two town parking lots overnight on a couple of occasions with no issues. Those are located on either side of the tracks in the vicinity of the library just south of the station. I wouldn't recommend it for multi-day trips but for a quick overnighter in DC you're probably fine. Wouldn't hurt to ring up the Ashland PD and ask, though.nnHopefully with this information you can enjoy smooth, stress free travel out of one of the coolest little Amtrak stations in Virginia!

A Great place

we visited the town of Ashland during the weekend of The Train Festival, the location of the train activity and walking and vehicle traffic was handled very well. We missed the train exihibits but will try again next year.