NEWS RELEASE – July 25, 2023
Month of June sets a record for ridership
RICHMOND — The Virginia Passenger Rail Authority (VPRA) announced today that 1.26 million passengers traveled on its Amtrak Virginia service during the state’s fiscal year 2023 (July 1, 2022 – June 30, 2023), setting an all-time record for fiscal year ridership. The total – 1,256,123 – beat the previous record of 894,065 set during fiscal year 2015.
The month of June also set a record for travel during that month with 111,212 passengers. The previous record for June was set last year when 85,533 passengers traveled. All four Amtrak Virginia corridors saw increases year-over-year from June 2022 to June 2023. Overall ridership was up 30% over last June with the Newport News service seeing the greatest increase of 57.4% from June 2022 to June 2023.
June 2023 vs June 2022 Comparison
| Route | June 2023 | June 2022 | % Increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Route 46 Roanoke | 27,424 | 21,564 | 27.2% |
| Route 47 Newport News | 29,839 | 18,956 | 57.4% |
| Route 48 Norfolk | 41,908 | 33,094 | 26.6% |
| Route 49 Richmond | 12,041 | 11,919 | 1.0% |
| Total | 111,212 | 85,533 | 30.0% |
NOTE: June 2023 ridership includes eight daily roundtrips, up from just five in June 2022. Last July three roundtrips were added – one to Roanoke and one to Norfolk. The third, to Newport News, was the resumption of service cancelled due to the pandemic.
“These record-setting ridership numbers reflect the need for more investment in passenger rail in the Commonwealth,” said DJ Stadtler, Executive Director of VPRA. “With planned infrastructure improvements from Northern Virginia into Washington, DC including a new bridge across the Potomac River, new investment will benefit not only Virginians but also, those traveling to and from our nation’s capital and along the east coast. It’s vital we continue to secure necessary funding for these projects to ensure rail is a viable transportation option in Virginia and beyond.”
VPRA’s Transforming Rail in Virginia (TRV) initiative is a generational investment in rail infrastructure that will build high-performance passenger and commuter rail service in Virginia. TRV projects will:
- Increase the state-supported Amtrak service between Washington, DC, and Richmond, resulting in near-hourly service along this corridor.
- Increase Amtrak service to Roanoke, Newport News, and Norfolk.
- Extend Amtrak service from Roanoke to the New River Valley (Christiansburg).
These investments will make Amtrak Virginia service an even more practical transportation alternative for thousands of Virginians.
Currently, Amtrak Virginia service offers three daily roundtrips between Norfolk and Washington, DC, two daily between both Roanoke and Washington, and Newport News and Washington, and one daily roundtrip between Richmond and the nation’s capital. The all-time record for monthly ridership on Amtrak Virginia is August 2022 when 119,280 passengers traveled.
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.
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