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Additional Amtrak service coming to Norfolk

Posted at 9:55 PM, Jan 26, 2019
and last updated 2019-01-27 17:50:33-05

Hampton Roads residents will soon be able to utilize a second Amtrak train service serving Norfolk.

Secretary of Transportation Shannon Valentine announced that the debut of a second Amtrak train service serving Norfolk will help to avoid traffic and congestion in tunnels and on Interstates 64 and 95.

The second daily round-trip train to Norfolk is scheduled to begin Monday, March 4.

The second train will depart weekdays around 9 a.m along with the current 6:10 a.m. daily departure.

“Rail plays a critical role in our multimodal transportation system, with an economic impact of $73 billion of output across the Commonwealth,”Secretary of Transportation Shannon Valentine said. “The additional passenger rail service announced today will expand access, improve mobility, and create greater economic opportunity.”

The Hampton Roads area has 699 miles of rail that provides $45.1 billion of output, or 27.7% of the district’s total output and $1.2 billion in tax revenue, which comprises 22.2% of the district’s total tax revenue.

212,484 people in the Hampton Roads district are employed by the rail industry, generating $12.2 billion in income for this work force.

“The new service to Hampton Roads offers new travel options as well as schedule changes that will improve the performance for these trains, said Jennifer Mitchell, Director of the Department of Rail and Public Transportation. “None of this would be possible without our close and valued partnerships with Amtrak, CSX, Norfolk Southern, and the Cities of Norfolk and Newport News.”

Passenger rail service to and from Norfolk is part of Amtrak’s Northeast Regional train service connecting the Commonwealth to the northeast, offering customers a same-seat trip to and from 17 Virginia stations to Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York City, Boston and other destinations.

Additional details regarding schedules and ticket sales will be announced at a later date.

To read additional information click here.