Amtrak ridership numbers in Hampton Roads are skyrocketing

There are many ways to travel through Hampton Roads, whether you’re a driver or a sailor. However, some people live here but don’t work here, so Amtrak could be the preferred method of transport.

News 3 recently got the 2023 ridership data back from Amtrak, so let’s take a look at how it’s fairing in our area.

According to the company, their stations in Virginia and North Carolina were the busiest in the Southeast region. Here’s the top 5:

1. Richmond, Va.
2. Alexandria, Va.
3. Charlotte, N.C.
4. Norfolk, Va.
5. Raleigh, N.C.

In total, ridership at the Norfolk station reached 232,530, almost double the number posted in 2022. That was 129,791.
“Customers are taking advantage of a sustainable way to travel to the many destinations our network offers,” said Amtrak’s Vice President, Ray Lang.

Watch related: Discover the comfort of traveling Amtrak coach in round-trip rail to Richmond

There are a lot of those destinations to choose from. Customers can travel as far south as Miami, or as north as Boston. But the travel isn’t stopping there.

Plans are underway to increase Amtrak service in Virginia. Those plans include doubling the Amtrak service between Richmond and D.C., as well as increasing Amtrak services to cities like Norfolk, Newport News, and Roanoke. They want to add two additional round-trip stops in the state by 2026, and three more by 2030. News 3 recently heard from Sen. Mark Warner about Amtrak’s expansion, specifically regarding a possible stop in Suffolk.

“The rail out through Lynchburg, Blacksburg to Christiansburg has twice as many passengers, so I think the notion of a Southside, south Hamptons Roads connector rail makes a lot of sense. It’s not a quick process but you know, every journey starts with a first step, and the mayor is not shy about standing up for Suffolk,” he told News 3.

At a recent Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization meeting last month, the board unanimously approved efforts to find a site in Suffolk that could support a new train station.

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