NORFOLK, Va. – This week marks five years since Amtrak has been back in Norfolk.
The Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation helped bring back the passenger rail system to Norfolk after it had originally left the area in 1977.
Amtrak’s “Northeast Regional” connects the Hampton Roads area to the national rail network that has over 500 stops.
Amtrak said that Norfolk was the highest-performing city pair in the Virginia state-supported system in the 2017 Fiscal Year. They also said that the route, Washington D.C. to Norfolk, served a total of 155,389 customers, with ridership for the Norfolk station at 47,493.
“The success of the Norfolk service testifies to the progressive vision the Commonwealth has brought to bringing real alternatives for residents to travel,” said Joe McHugh, Amtrak Vice President of State-Supported Services Business Development.
The Virginia DRBT supports in all six Northeast Regional trains that serve Norfolk, Richmond, Newport News, Lynchburg and Roanoke. Virginia DRPT provides nearly $700 million in funding that is allocated to over 40 transit services, as well as Amtrak, Class 1, and short-line railroads.
“The celebration of this milestone is further proof that Norfolk is committed to providing dynamic transportation options for all of South Hampton Roads,” said Norfolk Mayor Kenneth Cooper Alexander.
