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Amtrak’s Virginia routes see ridership record in July

Amtrak’s four state-supported routes in Virginia carried a record 110,256 passengers in July. It’s a 28.9% increase over June, and 19.8% higher than its pre-pandemic ridership numbers from July 2019.

The Virginia Passenger Rail Authority launched new round-trip routes to Roanoke and Norfolk in July, and resumed an additional round-trip to Newport ²ÝÝ®´«Ã½ that was suspended during the pandemic. Its Newport ²ÝÝ®´«Ã½ route, with seven stops between Alexandria and Newport ²ÝÝ®´«Ã½, had the largest gain.



The Roanoke-to-Alexandria route, which makes five stops, has returned to pre-pandemic ridership.

Amtrak is getting back to pre-pandemic ridership numbers. (Courtesy Amtrak)

The Virginia Passenger Rail Authority launched state-supported rail service in 2009. There are 17 stops along all four corridors.

Last year, Virginia reached agreements with Amtrak, CSX and Virginia Railway Express to expand commuter and freight rail in the commonwealth, as part of a $3.7 billion , a 10-year investment to better connect the Northeast and Southeast corridors.

Jeff Clabaugh

Jeff Clabaugh has spent 20 years covering the Washington region's economy and financial markets for ²ÝÝ®´«Ã½ as part of a partnership with the Washington Business Journal, and officially joined the ²ÝÝ®´«Ã½ newsroom staff in January 2016.

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