Virginia’s Intercity Rail Investments Paying Off in New Ridership

State-supported rail lines in Virginia set a new ridership record in July.

1 minute read

September 2, 2022, 5:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Amtrak

Kristi Blokhin / Shutterstock

“Passenger counts on Virginia’s state-supported train services hit an all-time high in July, with more than 110,000 travelers,” according to an article published by the Sun Gazette. “That’s an increase of nearly 29 percent from June and a jump of nearly 20 percent from pre-pandemic levels, according to the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority (VRPA).”

The spike in ridership can be traced to an increased number of round trips between Washington, D.C., Roanoke, and Norfolk, as well as the resumption of a trip between D.C. and Newport News.

More details on the increased ridership on each of those routes is included in the source article.

The latest ridership figures provide more evidence to support the benefits of the state’s ongoing investments in intercity rail. Here is a timeline of Planetizen coverage of the state’s efforts to improve rail service around the state:

Information on the Transforming Rail VA initiative is also available at the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority’s website.

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