The post Virginia and North Carolina are Home to the Busiest Amtrak Stations in the Southeast appeared first on VPRA.
]]>WASHINGTON — More people are traveling by train with a record number passing through Virginia and North Carolina. The top five stations in the Southeast in 2023 were the Staples Mill Road Station in Richmond, Va., Alexandria, Va., Charlotte, N.C., Norfolk, Va., and Raleigh, N.C.
“The tremendous growth in ridership is a result of the substantial investments North Carolina and Virginia are making to expand and improve passenger rail,” Amtrak Vice President Ray Lang said. “Customers are taking advantage of a sustainable way to travel to the many destinations our network offers.”
Amtrak Virginia, the Virginia state-supported passenger rail service, offers 12 daily trains to the Richmond station for service to Washington, D.C., Baltimore, New York, and Boston. Customers can also access additional Amtrak service for travel to Raleigh, Charlotte, Savannah, Ga., and other cities as far south as Miami.
“Richmond is not just the capital of Virginia, it’s the epicenter of the East, connecting the Southeast and the Northeast by rail,” said DJ Stadtler, Executive Director of the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority (VPRA) which oversees the Commonwealth’s Amtrak Virginia service. “All three of these stations – Richmond-Staples Mill, Alexandria, and Norfolk – offer Virginians access to rail service connecting the Commonwealth with the rest of the east coast.”
In North Carolina, the Piedmont and Carolinian services offer daily roundtrips for travel between Raleigh, Charlotte, and points in between. The Carolinian, which travels daily from New York to Charlotte, and stops at the Staples Mill Road Station in Richmond, Va., and Alexandria, Va., are sponsored by the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) and operated by Amtrak.
“The growth we’ve seen in ridership in 2022 and 2023 is unprecedented,” said Jason Orthner, NCDOT’s Rail Division Director. “Continuing to work in partnership with Amtrak and the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority to increase connections and decrease travel time between destinations in the South and the Northeast is a priority to increase and enhance NC By Train service in North Carolina and beyond.”
The two states received federal grants to help continue pursuing their vision to expand service in the region.
In addition to Richmond, Alexandria, and Norfolk, Amtrak Virginia also serves Newport News, Roanoke, and twelve other Virginia communities. In 2023, the service set a ridership record of more than 1.3 million passengers, making the Commonwealth one of the most popular travel destinations on the Amtrak national network.
Plans are underway to expand Amtrak Virginia service through VPRA’s Transforming Rail in Virginia initiative, resulting in two additional roundtrips in 2026 and three in 2030.
Amtrak is capitalizing on ridership growth by advancing historic infrastructure investments that will launch new and expanded services, advance safety and reliability, improve accessibility, drive economic development and enhance the customer experience.
| Station | Total Ridership* | Routes |
|---|---|---|
| Richmond, Va – Staples Mill Road | 424,617 | Amtrak Virginia Service to Washington, DC, New York, and Boston
Additional service to Washington, DC, New York, Charleston, Savannah, and Miami |
| Alexandria, Va | 327,285 | Amtrak Virginia Service to Washington, DC, New York, and Boston
Additional service to Washington, DC, New York, Indianapolis, Chicago, New Orleans, Charleston, Savannah, and Miami |
| Charlotte, N.C. | 281,220 | Service to Raleigh, Washington, DC, New York, and New Orleans |
| Norfolk, Va. | 232,530 | Amtrak Virginia Service to Richmond, Washington, DC, New York, and Boston |
| Raleigh, N.C. | 231,229 | Service to Charlotte, Washington, DC, and New York |
*Calendar Year 2023
About Virginia Passenger Rail Authority
The Virginia Passenger Rail Authority was established in 2020 to promote, sustain, and expand the availability of passenger and commuter rail service in the Commonwealth. VPRA is committed to delivering and expanding its state-supported Amtrak Virginia passenger rail service. The Commonwealth of Virginia first launched state-supported service in 2009 with one roundtrip between Washington, DC and Lynchburg, VA. Since that time, the Commonwealth’s service has grown to include eight roundtrips daily with stops at 17 stations along four corridors. For more information, please visit vapassengerrailauthority.org.
About Amtrak®
For more than 50 years, Amtrak has connected America and modernized train travel. Offering a safe, environmentally efficient way to reach more than 500 destinations across 46 states and parts of Canada, Amtrak provides travelers with an experience that sets a new standard. Book travel, check train status, access your eTicket and more through the Amtrak app. Learn more at Amtrak.com and connect with us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.
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]]>The post Virginia and North Carolina Announce $58 Million Grant to Improve Rail Corridor Between Richmond and Raleigh appeared first on VPRA.
]]>NEWS RELEASE
June 2, 2022
Part of the federally designated Southeast Rail Corridor
RICHMOND – The Virginia Passenger Rail Authority (VPRA) and the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) today announced that they have been awarded a $58 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) in support of the states’ Raleigh to Richmond (R2R) Corridor Infrastructure Engineering & Safety Program.
The R2R program is a joint venture between VPRA and NCDOT to improve the rail corridor between Raleigh and Richmond to support additional service frequencies and reduce travel times between the two cities by more than an hour. To do this, portions of the S-line, a railroad section that provides a vital link between the two cities, must be updated through infrastructure rehabilitation and construction. The grant is a vital step in this process.
As a part of the Federal Railroad Administration’s Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) grants program, the $58 million grant will fund preliminary planning and engineering design for the approximately 162 miles of the S-Line between Raleigh and Richmond.
“This is an exciting and historic collaboration between the Commonwealth of Virginia and North Carolina, solidifying a critical link in the Southeast Rail Corridor. USDOT’s investment is an incredible first step to connecting our capital cities to each other and to the rest of the East Coast,” said Governor of Virginia Glenn Youngkin.
“This grant brings us one step closer to providing trains from Richmond to Raleigh that are competitive with the time that it takes to make the drive down I-85 and I-95,” said W. Sheppard Miller III, Virginia Secretary of Transportation. “This is a game-changing project that Virginia has already shown its commitment to through the purchase of 75 miles of the S-line from CSX. The benefits of this project will be felt across other parts of the Commonwealth as well with the improvements creating access for Norfolk trains directly into Main Street Station in Richmond, allowing for one-seat rides from downtown Norfolk to downtown Richmond on three roundtrips a day. This summer, the third Norfolk train will come into service, as well as a second train to Roanoke. The station enhancements at the Ettrick Station in Petersburg will create a more welcoming environment for increased trains and passengers using that station along the R2R corridor. This is big news as we advance the Transforming Rail in Virginia initiatives.”
“This historic funding is a critical development in our partnership with Virginia and North Carolina to upgrade infrastructure and expand passenger rail. Establishing an intercity corridor between Raleigh and Richmond will generate opportunities for fast, frequent, reliable, and equitable train service,” Amtrak Vice President Ray Lang said. “We will continue working with our partners to expand passenger rail that will provide more service to more passengers, relieve congestion, protect the environment, and enhance mobility.”
“This funding is a vital step in the development of the Southeast Corridor,” said DJ Stadtler, executive director of VPRA. “Providing safe, reliable, and convenient rail service between Richmond and Raleigh, for passengers and freight, will benefit both states through economic development, job growth, and increased transportation alternatives.”
In preparation for the service, the Commonwealth of Virginia purchased 75 miles of the S-line between Petersburg, VA, and Ridgeway, NC, from CSX Transportation (CSXT) in 2020 as part of its Transforming Rail in Virginia initiative. Through this initiative, the Commonwealth is investing $3.7 billion to improve and increase rail service throughout the state to provide alternatives for moving people and goods through Virginia. This agreement also gave NCDOT the ability to purchase the section of the S-Line between Raleigh and Ridgeway.
VPRA is working throughout the Commonwealth to expand the rail options available to Virginians. Currently the state supports Amtrak service to Richmond, Roanoke, Norfolk, and Newport News. Ridership on these services was up 26.7 percent in April, compared to March with a total of 70,433 passengers traveling. Ridership on the Roanoke and Norfolk routes exceeded April 2019 (pre-pandemic) levels.
About Virginia Passenger Rail Authority
The Virginia Passenger Rail Authority was established in 2020 to promote, sustain, and expand the availability of passenger and commuter rail service in the Commonwealth. VPRA is committed to delivering passenger rail service as an integrated, affordable, and convenient travel option and plays a critical role in mitigating current and future traffic congestion on Virginia’s highways, promoting economic development, and connecting communities by increasing passenger rail capacity, services, and ridership.
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Media Contact:
Karina Romero
Communications Manager
804-401-7912
[email protected]
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