The Virginia Passenger Rail Authority is using funding reserved to mitigate air pollution to help pay for its regional passenger service that serves Charlottesville.
A transportation budget making its way through the U.S. House of Representatives stands to make severe cuts to programs to expand alternatives to driving. On Tuesday, the U.S. House Appropriations Committee voted 34 to 27 on the FY24 budget that passed through the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Subcommittee (THUDRAS). That body…
The temporary shutdown of the pandemic caused a plunge in many charts including those that depict ridership on public transit. The Virginia Passenger Rail Authority this week has reported that ridership on state-funded trains has not only returned to pre-pandemic levels but has also set a new record. Ridership on the four Amtrak routes in…
This past July, the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority began running a second Amtrak service between Roanoke and D.C.’s Union Station. This additional train had been planned for many years, but it took negotiations with Norfolk Southern to make it work. “We negotiated a second train on that route because ridership in 2019 actually hit record…
In July, more than 110,000 passenger rides were taken on Amtrak trains whose cost is partially covered through the Commonwealth of Virginia. Amtrak released figures for July this week and that month was the first with two new roundtrip services including an additional train between Roanoke and D.C. that serves Charlottesville. Around 27,375 riders took…
A deal between the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority and Norfolk Southern closed on June 30, which means additional passenger rail service will begin next Monday. According to a release, the state entity will now own 28 miles of track between Christiansburg and Salem that will allow for the expansion of passenger rail to the New River…
On Tuesday, a ceremony was held at the Alexandria train station that is the culmination of an announcement in December 2019 from Governor Ralph Northam about a $3.7 billion investment in Virginia rail. That includes: A $1.9 billion bridge over the Potomac River dedicated to passenger rail Public purchase of 223 miles of track and…