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10/11/2022
Ridership on Amtrak's state-supported trains in Virginia reached record levels in August, topping a previous record set in July, the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority and Amtrak announced last week.
During August, 119,280 riders traveled on all four state-supported routes, an 8.2% increase from July’s ridership level of 110,256. The highest ridership level occurred on trains to Newport News — a 12.9% increase from July’s level. The increase included the resumption of a roundtrip that had been suspended during the pandemic.
Ridership on trains traveling through the Newport News corridor logged a 28.5% increase when compared to August 2021.
Service to Roanoke and Norfolk also posted increases in August, following the July 7 launch of two new roundtrips — one to each city.
"The continued growth of our state-supported Amtrak service shows that rail is not only a viable part of Virginia’s transportation network, it’s a necessary part," said DJ Stadtler, the authority’s executive director, in a press release. "Every day we are working towards our mission of providing more rail options across the commonwealth."
The route between Richmond and Washington, D.C., continues to rebound from a pandemic suspension of service. In August, 11,828 passengers rode the route, a 22% increase over the August 2019 ridership level.