Amtrak Virginia | |
---|---|
Overview | |
Locale | Virginia |
Transit type | Inter-city rail |
Number of lines | 4 |
Website | Amtrak Virginia |
Operation | |
Began operation | 2009 |
Operator(s) | Amtrak |
Technical | |
Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
Amtrak Virginia is the collective name for Virginia's state-supported Amtrak train service, all of which falls under the Northeast Regional brand. Amtrak Virginia trains run between Washington, D.C., and one of four southern termini: Richmond, Newport News, Norfolk, or Roanoke. Trains generally continue north from D.C. along the Northeast Corridor, providing one-seat rides from Virginia to Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York City, and Boston.
The Virginia Passenger Rail Authority has overseen Amtrak Virginia since 2020. [1] [2]
After Amtrak took over intercity passenger service on May 1, 1971, rail service in Virginia was limited to a small number of long-distance trains, where they were often not suited to regional travel. Regional service south to Newport News began on June 14, 1976, when Amtrak ended the Newport News section of the James Whitcomb Riley and the Colonial was added in its place with two daily round trips from Boston to Newport News via Alexandria, Richmond and Williamsburg.
Virginia and Amtrak partnered in 2009 under the brand Amtrak Virginia to expand passenger rail service within the Commonwealth, making Virginia the 15th state to fund state services in addition to federally funded routes. [3] One daily Northeast Regional round trip was extended from Washington to Lynchburg via Manassas and Charlottesville on October 1, 2009, supplementing the existing Crescent service. [4] In the first month, ridership doubled expectations. [5] On July 20, 2010, Amtrak added an additional Northeast Regional frequency from Washington to Richmond Staples Mill Road station, increasing the Washington-Richmond corridor to eight daily round trips with hourly northbound morning service. [6]
A further extension south from Richmond to Norfolk along Norfolk Southern tracks was planned by the Department of Rail & Public Transportation (DRPT), and the Commonwealth of Virginia in cooperation with Amtrak. Certain track upgrades (e.g., passing sidings, replacing track to increase operating speeds) between Richmond and Norfolk that were necessary to enable this extension were funded jointly by Norfolk Southern and DRPT. Service started on December 12, 2012. [7] A second daily Norfolk round trip on weekdays was added on March 4, 2019. [8] Schedules for the Newport News trains are also being modified[ needs update ] to improve service to the Hampton Roads region. [9]
On August 9, 2013, it was announced that Amtrak hoped to complete track and infrastructure upgrades in order to bring train service to Roanoke by 2016. [10] The project encountered delays, and by late 2016 service was planned to begin in late 2017 with a single train extended from Lynchburg serving the city daily after construction of the Roanoke station platform, which was to begin in early 2017 and take most of the year. [11] Amtrak began service to Roanoke on October 31, 2017. [12]
In December 2017 the DRPT started the Virginia Breeze, a state bus service operated by Megabus for areas not served by rail. As of May 2023 [update] there are four daily routes that terminate at Washington Union Station, with stops at a few other Amtrak Virginia stations. [13] [14]
On December 19, 2019, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam announced a $3.7 billion program to expand rail service in Virginia, which includes doubling the frequency of Amtrak service between Richmond and Washington. [15] [16] As part of the program, the commonwealth paid CSX Transportation $525 million to purchase 223 miles of track and 386 miles of right-of-way, a deal which was finalized on March 31, 2021. [17] One round trip was extended from Staples Mill to Main Street in September 2021 as the first service expansion under the program. [18] Service changes on July 11, 2022, added a second daily Roanoke round trip and an additional Norfolk weekday round trip (making three round trips on weekdays and two on weekends). [19] [20] That change resulted in July 2022 ridership on the state-supported Virginia routes being 20% higher than June 2022 and 29% higher than July 2019. [21]
Extension of the route south of Roanoke to Christiansburg, Virginia, near Virginia Tech, is proposed, with further extension to Bristol, Virginia/Tennessee as a long-range possibility. In 2021, the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority (VPRA) and Norfolk Southern reached an agreement for the state to purchase part of the former Virginian Railway for service to the New River Valley. A station was to be built at Merrimac, between Christiansburg and Blacksburg, with service by 2025. [22] As of June 2024 [update] , however, the VRPA and Norfolk Southern were in negotiations to instead extend service on the N-Line (ex-Norfolk and Western) with a station at Cambria, closer to Christiansburg. The VRPA indicated this could be done faster and cheaper than service on the Virginian line. [23]
Closed in 1979, Bedford station in Bedford, Virginia, was not reopened as part of the extension to Roanoke. In 2021, the DRPT estimated that an infill station in Bedford would draw 10,050 new riders per year, cost $10.9 million, and could be completed by 2025. [24]
In May 2022, Amtrak and the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority reached an agreement to build an Amtrak platform at Crystal City, currently served by Virginia Railway Express, as part of the station's reconstruction. [25] As of 2023 [update] , the work is expected to be complete by 2026. [26]
Stakeholders have proposed a new cross-Virginia train along a route designated the Commonwealth Corridor: Newport News–Richmond–Charlottesville–Lynchburg–Roanoke. The service would enable faster east-west travel within the Amtrak Virginia network without the need to travel north, transfer at Alexandria, and return south. The route would use existing rail lines and would also follow the Northeast Regional extension to Christiansburg.
A 2021 feasibility study for the corridor conducted by DRPT estimated that the service would cost $416.5 million to get started, and would generate 177,200 annual riders by 2040. [27] In December 2023, the Federal Railroad Administration accepted an application by the DRPT to enter the Commonwealth Corridor route into its Corridor Identification and Development Program. The program grants $500,000 toward service planning and prioritizes the route for future federal funding. [28]
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As of 2023 [update] , Amtrak Virginia consists of eight Northeast Regional round trips on weekdays, and seven on Saturdays and Sundays. Due to branching, cities receive varying levels of service, with only Alexandria Union Station seeing all trips. For example, Richmond Staples Mill Road sees six weekday round trips while Richmond's more centrally-located Main Street Station sees just three, while the remaining three continue Norfolk.
Washington Union Station is the northern limit of state-supported service. From there, trains generally continue onto the Northeast Corridor and terminate at Boston South Station or Springfield Union Station in Massachusetts.
Southern terminus | Weekday round trips | Weekend round trips |
---|---|---|
Richmond–Main Street | 1 | 1 |
Newport News | 2 | 2 |
Norfolk | 3 | 2 |
Roanoke | 2 | 2 |
Total | 8 | 7 |
Amtrak Virginia service is supplemented by Amtrak's federally-funded long-distance routes through the state: the Cardinal to Chicago, Crescent to New Orleans, Palmetto to Savannah, Silver Service to Miami, and Auto Train to Sanford. The state-supported Carolinian also runs through Virginia, but is primarily sponsored by North Carolina and falls under the NC by Train brand, not Amtrak Virginia. [29]
All Amtrak Virginia services use the northernmost portion of the ex-Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad (now owned by CSX Transportation) between Washington and Alexandria, Virginia. South of Alexandria, trains to Roanoke use the Norfolk Southern Railway (ex-Southern Railway, ex-Virginia Midland Railway). Trains to Richmond, Norfolk and Newport News use the CSX RF&P, Richmond Terminal, and Bellwood subdivisions between Alexandria and Richmond.
South of Richmond, trains to Newport News use the CSX Peninsula Subdivision. Trains to Norfolk use the CSX North End Subdivision and Norfolk Southern's Norfolk District (ex-Norfolk and Western Railway).
The Northeast Regional is an intercity rail service operated by Amtrak in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic United States. In the past it has been known as the NortheastDirect, Acela Regional, or Regional. It is Amtrak's busiest route, carrying 9,163,082 passengers in fiscal year (FY) 2023. The Northeast Regional service received more than $787.7 million in gross ticket revenue in FY 2023.
Virginia Railway Express (VRE) is a commuter rail service that connects outlying small cities of Northern Virginia to Washington Union Station in Washington, D.C. It operates two lines which run during weekday rush hour only: the Fredericksburg Line from Spotsylvania, Virginia, and the Manassas Line from Broad Run station in Bristow, Virginia. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 1,537,000, or about 6,700 per weekday as of the second quarter of 2024.
The Crescent is a daily long-distance passenger train operated by Amtrak between New York City and New Orleans. The 1,377-mile (2,216 km) route connects the Northeast to the Gulf Coast via the Appalachian Piedmont, with major stops in Charlotte, North Carolina; Atlanta, Georgia; and Birmingham, Alabama.
The Cardinal is a long-distance passenger train operated by Amtrak between New York Penn Station and Chicago Union Station via Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Charlottesville, Charleston, Huntington, Cincinnati, and Indianapolis. Along with the Capitol Limited and Lake Shore Limited, it is one of three trains linking the Northeast and Chicago. The 1,146-mile (1,844 km) trip between New York and Chicago is scheduled for 281⁄4 hours.
The Silver Star is a long-distance passenger train operated by Amtrak on a 1,522-mile (2,449 km) route between New York City and Miami via Washington, D.C., Richmond, Virginia, Raleigh, North Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, Savannah, Georgia, Jacksonville, Florida, and Tampa, Florida. The Silver Star and its sister train in the Silver Service brand, the Silver Meteor, are the descendants of numerous long-distance trains that operated between Florida and New York for most of the 20th century.
Alexandria Union Station is a historic railroad station in Alexandria, Virginia, south of Washington, D.C. To avoid confusion with nearby Washington Union Station, the station is often referred to as simply Alexandria. Its Amtrak code is ALX.
The Southeast Corridor (SEC) is a proposed passenger rail transportation project in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States to extend high-speed passenger rail services from the current southern terminus of the Northeast Corridor in Washington, D.C.. Routes would extend south via Richmond and Petersburg, Virginia, with a spur to Norfolk in Virginia's Hampton Roads region; the mainline would continue south to Raleigh, Durham, Greensboro, and Charlotte, North Carolina. Since the corridor was first established in 1992, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has extended it further to Atlanta, Georgia and Macon, Georgia; Greenville, South Carolina; Columbia, South Carolina; Jacksonville, Florida; and Birmingham, Alabama.
Richmond Main Street Station, officially the Main Street Station and Trainshed, is a historic railroad station and office building in Richmond, Virginia. It was built in 1901, and is served by Amtrak. It is also an intermodal station with Richmond's city transit bus services, which are performed by Greater Richmond Transit Company (GRTC). The station is colloquially known by residents as The Clock Tower. It was listed to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970, and in 1976 was made a U.S. National Historic Landmark. Main Street Station serves as a secondary train station for Richmond providing limited Amtrak service directly to downtown Richmond. Several Amtrak trains serving the Richmond metropolitan area only stop at the area's primary rail station, Staples Mill Road which is located five miles to the north in Henrico County.
The Charlottesville Union Station, located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, is served by Amtrak's Cardinal,Crescent, and daily Northeast Regional passenger trains. It is Amtrak's third-busiest station in Virginia, aside from its all-auto Auto Train station in Lorton. The station is situated in the northeast quadrant of the junction between two railway lines. The Cardinal uses the east–west line, owned by the state of Virginia, and formerly by CSX Transportation, and operated by the Buckingham Branch Railroad, while other services use the north–south line owned and operated by Norfolk Southern Railway. The station is within walking distance of the University of Virginia, which is the major employer in the area.
Transportation in the Commonwealth of Virginia is by land, sea and air. Virginia's extensive network of highways and railroads were developed and built over a period almost 400 years, beginning almost immediately after the founding of Jamestown in 1607, and often incorporating old established trails of the Native Americans.
Newport News station was an Amtrak inter-city train station in Newport News, Virginia. When it closed, it was the southern terminus of two daily Northeast Regional round trips. It has a single side platform adjacent to a large CSX rail yard. An Amtrak Thruway motorcoach connection to Norfolk station effectively doubles the frequency between each station and Washington. It was replaced by the Newport News Transportation Center.
Petersburg station is an Amtrak railroad station located at 3516 South Street in Ettrick, Virginia just outside the city of Petersburg. However, like most of Ettrick, it has a Petersburg address. The station was built in 1955 by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL) and services nearby Virginia State University and its home field, Rogers Stadium, both a short walk from the station.
Raleigh Union Station is an intermodal transit station in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Train service began the morning of July 10, 2018. Its main building serves as an Amtrak train station, while a future adjacent building will serve as the bus terminus for GoTriangle. The station is located at the Boylan Wye, a railroad junction used by CSX and Norfolk Southern, and adjacent to the Depot Historic District in downtown Raleigh.
The Hilltopper was a passenger train operated by Amtrak in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It ran daily from South Station in Boston, Massachusetts to Catlettsburg station in Catlettsburg, Kentucky. The 1,674 mi (2,694 km) run made 34 stops in 11 states and the District of Columbia.
The Carolinian is a daily Amtrak passenger train that runs between New York City and Charlotte, North Carolina, with major stops in Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, Richmond, Raleigh, Cary, Durham, and Greensboro. The 704-mile (1,133 km) service is the longest state-supported route in the Amtrak system. Northbound trains leave Charlotte at breakfast time and arrive in New York in the early evening, while southbound trains leave New York during the morning rush and arrive in Charlotte in the evening.
Roanoke station is a train station in Roanoke, Virginia, the current southern terminus of Amtrak's Northeast Regional line. Built in 2017, it follows several other Roanoke passenger stations that operated from the 1850s to 1979. The unstaffed station consists of a single high-level platform with no station building or waiting room available for passengers. All tickets must be purchased in advance; there is no Quik-Trak kiosk at the station.
Christiansburg station was an intercity rail station located in Christiansburg, Virginia. Originally built in 1906 to replace a previous station, it was served by Norfolk and Western Railway passenger trains until 1971. It was later served by Amtrak's Mountaineer from 1975 to 1977, then the Hilltopper until 1979. The station building remains extant.
The Colonial was an Amtrak intercity passenger train that operated between Boston, Massachusetts, and Newport News, Virginia, from 1976 to 1992. It was introduced on June 15, 1976, to replace the lightly-used Charlottesville-Newport News section of the James Whitcomb Riley. Certain trips were known as the Senator and Tidewater beginning in the late 1970s. The Richmond-New York City Virginian was added in 1984, with some trips called Potomac from 1985 to 1988.
NC By Train is a brand name used by the Rail Division of the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) for two state-supported Amtrak routes operating in the U.S. state of North Carolina–the Carolinian and the Piedmont.
The Virginia Breeze is an intercity bus service operated by Megabus and was introduced by the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation. The system operates four bus routes from Washington D.C. to many different parts of Virginia.