RICHMOND & WASHINGTON, DC — Dec. 12 marked the 10th anniversary of Amtrak service in Norfolk.
The Virginia Passenger Rail Authority (VPRA) and Amtrak said in a joint press release that since Amtrak launched ten years ago in the waterfront city, service has expanded to three daily roundtrips.
1.7 million passengers have traveled through Norfolk’s Amtrak station since its inception. Ray Lang, Amtrak’s Vice President of State Supported Services at Amtrak, says public support for the Norfolk station is “tremendous.”
“We are proud to partner with the Virginia 2 Passenger Rail Authority to offer customers a sustainable and comfortable transportation option instead of driving and flying,” said Lang.
Andy Daly, CSX’s Senior Director of Passenger Rail Operations, says the Norfolk station is seeing “record ridership.” Recent figures show that ridership dipped during the pandemic, but this year, more riders are traveling through Norfolk’s Amtrak station than any previous year.
Norfolk Mayor Kenneth Cooper Alexander also commented on the anniversary, and says the station plays a vital role in ensuring that residents of the third-most populous city in Virgina have “viable and reliable” transportation options.
“The ridership growth we have seen on our state-supported Amtrak service is a true testament to the state’s commitment of meeting the transportation needs of all Virginians," said Alexander. "We are proud of its success and celebrate its 10th anniversary!”
