New Multimodal Regional Transportation Center Opens in Virginia

Virginia has a new multimodal regional transit center that connects travelers on Amtrak Virginia and the regional bus system, according to an article from Mass Transit. The Newport News Transportation Center opened on August 22, which “will provide two daily Amtrak Virginia roundtrips between Newport News and Richmond and Alexandria, Va., Washington, D.C., and cities in the northeast” and “serve as a transfer point for Amtrak Thruway Bus Service, extending travel to Norfolk and Virginia Beach and for Hampton Roads Transit, taxi service and shuttles to and from the Newport News-Williamsburg Airport,” Mass Transit reports. “In addition to a new station and platform, the project also includes the construction of a maintenance facility, where crews will service and clean trains in preparation for the next day’s departures.”

The $53 million project is the result of 12 years of planning and a partnership between Amtrak, the city of Newport News, the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority, CSX, the Federal Railroad Administration, the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, and the Virginia Department of Transportation. VPRA Executive Director DJ Stadtler told Mass Transit it is a “shining example of … what can be accomplished with strong partnerships between stakeholders.”

“The new transportation center comes as the service is experiencing record ridership,” the article reports. Indeed, last year, Virginia Passenger Rail ridership hit an all-time high of 1.26 million passengers in the fiscal year, smashing its previous record of just under 900,000 in 2015, according to an article from the Washington Post.