HAMPTON ROADS, Va. — More people are opting to travel through Amtrak Virginia stations, including the ones in Norfolk and Newport News, according to recently-released data from Virginia Passenger Rail Authority.
Amtrak Virginia saw a 4.8% passenger increase from state fiscal year 2024 (July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024) to state fiscal year 2025 (July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025).
The Virginia Passenger Rail Authority shared that railway passengers reached a total of 1,451,276 during SFY25, marking a year-over-year increase of more than 65,000 riders. These numbers mark the highest ridership record since the launch of the state's rail service in 2009, the rail authority stated.
The Amtrak stations in both Norfolk and Newport News contributed to the state's year-over-year increase in ridership with almost a million passengers combined.
Passengers traveling through the Norfolk station jumped from 518,520 to 542,743, representing a 4.7% increase from SFY24 to SFY25, according to the rail authority. In that same timeframe, Newport News saw a 4.2% increase, with ridership rising from 378,832 to 394,672.
The Amtrak Virginia station with the most year-over-year growth was Roanoke, with a 6.9% increase in ridership from SFY24 to SFY25.
Amtrak Virginia also shared data showing a ridership spike during the month of June. In June of 2025, Virginia Amtrak had a total of 126,284 passengers, marking a 13.3% boost compared to June of 2024.
The rail service also has plans in place to expand to parts of southwest Virginia and multiple bridge projects that could make a trip to Washington, D.C. a bit faster.
