Transportation to Blacksburg
Blacksburg is a relatively small place located away from major urban centers. Traveling to Blacksburg can be a real issue especially if you are starting from the other side of the Atlantic or the Pacific Ocean.
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Location
Blacksburg is located in Southwest Virginia. 5 kilometers from Blacksburg is Christiansburg where Interstate 81 meets US 460. Nearest big city is Roanoke, nearest metropolitan area is Charlotte North Carolina.
Car
I 81 is the busiest highway on the East Coast. Around Blacksburg it has only 2 lanes on each direction, it is always full of cars and on game days driving it can be a real torture. In most cases though a private vehicle is the only way you can reach the city.
Bus
Blacksburg Transit mostly serves the town of Blacksburg. The Two Town Trolley will get you to the Christiansburg WalMart and from there you can get the Shopper Express to other destinations in Christiansburg.
The Smart Way bus connects Blacksburg With Roanoke. It serves in Blacksburg Alumni Mall and the Post office, in Christiansburg Kmart Shopping Center and I81 Park and Ride, the Roanoke Park and Ride, Roanoke Regional Airport, Hotel Roanoke and Campbell Court in Downtown Roanoke. The last bus is around 9 so those coming from across the Atlantic to Roanoke airport often have to find different transportation to Blacksburg. It costs $4 each way and from July 2011 it will be paired with another Smart Way bus from Roanoke to Charlottesville.
Megabus begun offering in November 2010 service from Christiansburg to Washington DC and Knoxville Tennessee. It stops at Christiansburg Park and Ride. Prices vary depending on when you book.
The nearest Greyhound bus terminal is Campbell Court in Roanoke.
Home Ride offers buses on Fridays connecting Blacksburg with Vienna VA (terminus of the Washington DC metro Orange Line) and Richmond and return trips on Sundays. This service is only offered in the Fall and Spring semesters.
From time to time, especially around Spring and Fall breaks and graduation/orientation parents and students pool resources to charter buses to various destinations like Philadelphia.
Rail
The nearest train station is in Charlottesville. From there you can take the Northeast corridor all the way to Boston. Come July 2011 the city of Roanoke intends to start Smart Way Bus service from Roanoke to Charlottesville that will connect with the train. Eventually they hope to extend train service to Roanoke and eventually Bristol, but the current planning is for train to arrive in Roanoke in 2015.
Airports
Montgomery Executive Airport only serves general aviation. The nearest airport with scheduled passenger flights is Roanoke Regional Airport, which is connected to Blacksburg with the Smart Way Bus. Alternatively you can take a taxi for about $50-$60. It is a 45 minute trip by car/cab and about 70 minutes by Smart Way bus.
Roanoke Regional Airport (ROA) has direct flights to Washington Dulles, Charlotte Douglas, Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson, Philadelphia International Airport, Chicago O'hare, New York La Guardia and Orland Sanford.
The nearest international airport is Charlotte Douglas (CLT). It is a little over 3 hours from Blacksburg depending on traffic. Charlotte receives transatlantic and transpacific flights
Other nearby airports with regular flights are Lynchburg VA (LYH) about 75-90 minutes away, Lewisburg West Virginia (LWV) about 2 hours, Charlottesville VA (CHO) about 2 hours away, Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport in Weyers Cave VA (SHD) 2 hours 15 minutes, Piedmont Triad International airport in Greensboro NC (PTI) 2 hours 45 minutes and the Washington DC airports which are over 4 1/2 hours away.