Amtrak Virginia

Last updated

Amtrak Virginia
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Overview
Locale Virginia
Transit type Inter-city rail
Number of lines4
Website Amtrak Virginia
Operation
Began operation2009
Operator(s) Amtrak
Technical
Track gauge 4 ft 8+12 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.

Contents

The Virginia Passenger Rail Authority has overseen Amtrak Virginia since 2020. [1] [2]

History

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.

The Colonial at Fredericksburg in the 1980s Amtrak Colonial 1980s postcard.jpg
The Colonial at Fredericksburg in the 1980s

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 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]

Proposed expansion

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. Plans by the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) depend on difficult negotiations with Norfolk Southern, and funding improvements for both freight and passenger service, as in previous agreements with private carriers. The town of Christiansburg acquired land for a new station in 2016. [22]

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. [23]

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. [24] As of 2023, the work is expected to be complete by 2026. [25]

Commonwealth Corridor

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. [26]

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. [27]

Operations

Services

Amtrak Virginia
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Washington, D.C.
8 daily Amtrak Virginia trips
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(7 on weekends)
 
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DC
VA
Crystal City
planned 2026
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Alexandria
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Burke Centre
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Manassas
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Woodbridge
Culpeper
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Quantico
Charlottesville
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Fredericksburg
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Ashland
Lynchburg
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Richmond Staples Mill Road
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Bedford
planned 2025
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Richmond Main Street
terminus of 1 daily trip
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Williamsburg
Roanoke
terminus of 2 daily trips
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Newport News
terminus of 2 daily trips
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Petersburg
Christiansburg
planned 2025
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Norfolk
terminus of 3 daily trips
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(2 on weekends)
 
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As of 2023, 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 terminusWeekday round tripsWeekend round trips
Richmond–Main Street 11
Newport News 22
Norfolk 32
Roanoke 22
Total87

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. [28]

Trackage

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).

Related Research Articles

<i>Northeast Regional</i> Amtrak northeastern U.S. intercity rail service

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 earned over $787.7 million in gross ticket revenue in FY 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virginia Railway Express</span> Commuter rail service in Virginia and the District of Columbia

Virginia Railway Express (VRE) is a commuter rail service that connects outlying small cities of Northern Virginia to 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 5,900 per weekday as of the fourth quarter of 2023.

<i>Crescent</i> (train) Amtrak service between New York and New Orleans

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.

<i>Cardinal</i> (train) Amtrak service from Chicago, IL to New York, NY

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. Its 1,146-mile (1,844 km) trip between New York and Chicago takes 2814 hours.

<i>Silver Star</i> (Amtrak train) Amtrak service between New York and Florida

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richmond Staples Mill Road station</span> Railway station in Virginia

The Richmond Staples Mill Road Amtrak station is located in unincorporated Henrico County, Virginia, about 5 miles (8 km) north of downtown Richmond. The station was designed by David Volkert and Associates, and was built in 1975 as a replacement for Main Street Station in downtown Richmond, which had been heavily damaged by flooding from Hurricane Agnes. At its opening, it also inherited trains that had called at Richmond's other former union station, Broad Street Station, with a bus connection to the short-lived Richmond–Ellerson Street Station. Although limited Amtrak service returned to Main Street Station in December 2003, Staples Mill Road remains the primary rail station for the Richmond area, and all Richmond trains make a stop there. Richmond Main Street Station only sees trains that terminate there or at Newport News, since the other trains bypass downtown Richmond to the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexandria Union Station</span> Historic train station in Virginia, US

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor</span> Proposed passenger rail project in the United States

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richmond Main Street Station</span> Railway station in Richmond VA

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlottesville Union Station</span> Railway station in the United States

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transportation in Virginia</span> Overview of land sea and air transport systems in Virginia

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newport News station</span> Amtrak train station in Newport News, Virginia

Newport News station is an Amtrak inter-city train station in Newport News, Virginia. The station is 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Petersburg station</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raleigh Union Station</span> American intermodal transit station

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<i>Hilltopper</i> (train)

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.

<i>Carolinian</i> (train) Amtrak service between New York, NY and Charlotte, NC

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roanoke station (Virginia)</span> Train station in Virginia

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christiansburg station</span> Rail station in Virginia, United States

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.

<i>Colonial</i> (Amtrak train)

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NC By Train</span>

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.

References

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