The strength of RVA paired with the strength of 757
Passenger Rail
Remove barriers to increase passenger rail services
Increase rail service between Richmond and Hampton Roads.
Increase rail service from/to Richmond and Hampton Roads and other popular markets (DC, NYC, Philly, Raleigh, Charlotte).
Virginia’s Passenger Rail: Keys to Further Success
RVA757 Connects along with Virginians for High Speed Rail, the Southern Environmental Law Center, the Greater Washington Partnership, and the New River Valley Passenger Rail released in November 2023 a comprehensive examination of the current state of passenger rail in Virginia and a roadmap for its expansion and enhancement.
This collaborative effort brings together experts, advocates, and community leaders to address the critical need for a more robust and efficient rail system in the Commonwealth.
Passenger rail in Virginia has been incredibly successful and garnered strong bi-partisan support.
This Report lays out the path for how our passenger trains will provide even greater benefits over the next three decades.
Rail service (number of trains) between and to/from Richmond and Hampton Roads has been growing.
Virginia currently has eight state-supported inter-city passenger trains:
Richmond-Washington: One roundtrip daily
Newport News-Washington: Two roundtrips daily
Norfolk-Washington: Three roundtrips daily
Roanoke-Washington: Two roundtrips daily
Key service improvements:
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The $53 million Newport News Transportation Center (hub for rail, buses, taxis and airport shuttles) opened to the public
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Added a third Amtrak Northeast Regional roundtrip to Norfolk, added a second Amtrak Northeast Regional roundtrip to Roanoke and restored service on a second Amtrak Northeast Regional roundtrip to Newport News that had been suspended due to the pandemic.
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Extended a second Amtrak Northeast Regional roundtrip from Richmond to Norfolk
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Extended the Amtrak Northeast Regional roundtrip to Roanoke.
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One Amtrak Northeast Regional roundtrip was extended from Richmond to Norfolk via Petersburg, providing service to Norfolk for the first time in 40 years
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Added a third Amtrak Northeast Regional roundtrip between Richmond and the Northeast Corridor
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Launched state-supported service with one Amtrak Northeast Regional roundtrip between Lynchburg and the Northeast Corridor.
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Two Amtrak Northeast Regional roundtrips between Richmond and the Northeast Corridor and two Amtrak Northeast Regional roundtrips between Newport News and the Northeast Corridor
The pandemic was a brief setback, but ridership is recovering to/from Richmond and Hampton Roads.
Amtrak service in Virginia saw 1,021,452 passengers traveling on all state-supported trains for calendar year 2022 – which set a record for yearly ridership as it surpassed the previous record of 953,008 set in 2019.
The Virginia Passenger Rail Authority was created with the goal of expanding passenger service around the state.
The Virginia Passenger Rail Authority (VPRA) is responsible for promoting, sustaining, and expanding the availability of passenger and commuter rail service in the Commonwealth.
Created in 2020, VPRA administers all capital expansion projects, infrastructure, and land acquisitions related to the Transforming Rail in Virginia Program, which will double Amtrak state-supported service and increase Virginia Railway Express (VRE) service in Virginia over the next decade.
Commitments
Virginia Passenger Rail Authority has committed to the following:
Double Amtrak service in Virginia
Provide hourly Amtrak service between Richmond and Washington, D.C.
Increase Amtrak service to Roanoke (2022) and then extend Amtrak service to the New River Valley (expected 2026)
Increase VRE service along the I-95 corridor by 75%, with more service in the peak period and additional late-night and weekend service
Increase Amtrak service to Newport News and Norfolk
Lay the foundation to make the Southeast High-Speed Rail corridor possible through the acquisition of the out-of-service S-Line, which runs from Petersburg into North Carolina
Preserve the existing freight corridor between Doswell and Clifton Forge for future east-west passenger service
Statewide Plan
The plan includes details for 174 total rail projects, including VPRA passenger projects, VRE projects, and freight projects.
The state plans to double Amtrak service in the Commonwealth over the next 20 years.
The plan includes increasing service by 75 percent along a commuter rail line that follows I-95, called the Virginia Railway Express.
Virginia’s Plan Comes with a Big Price Tag
Planned passenger rail investments are outlined for the next 20 years (from 2022 until 2041) at a cost of $5.3 billion.
More than 80% of the investments ($4.4 billion) are in the short-term (in the next six years), as part of the Transforming Rail in Virginia initiative.
These short-term improvements address the critical bottlenecks that are identified to affect both passenger and freight rail operations in the next few years.
These improvements are iterative, supporting a number of future service improvements.
