Amtrak Virginia had its highest ridership ever last year
The Virginia Passenger Rail Authority's state-supposed Amtrak routes set an all-time ridership record last year.
Why it matters: Virginians seemed to be all aboard with train riding in 2024.
The big picture: Just under 1.4 million passengers traveled on the VPRA's four Amtrak routes in 2024, a 4.3% increase over the previous year — and a 45% increase over its pre-pandemic record set in 2019, according to the agency.
Zoom in: Route 51, which runs from Main Street Station in downtown Richmond to Union Station in D.C., saw the biggest year-over-year increase in ridership by percentage.
That route went from 139,541, passengers in 2023 to 149,132 last year, a 6.9% increase.
Route 50, Norfolk to D.C., added the most passengers overall, going from 490,719 riders in 2020 to 515,448 (+5%) last year.
Route 47, Newport News to D.C., and Route 46, Roanoke to D.C., also posted increases, reporting 381,675 riders (+4.9%) and 343,585 (+3.5%), respectively last year.
Of note: The stats are only for Amtrak's state-support lines, so regular routes out of Staples Mill — the south's busiest train station — aren't included in these numbers.
Plus: All of the routes make multiple stops along the way, so riders didn't necessarily end their trip in D.C.; they could've gotten off along the way, Karina Romero with VPRA tells Axios.
The Norfolk and Newport News trains also stop in Richmond and the Roanoke routes goes through Charlottesville.
The bottom line: Virginians are traveling all over the state — and they're increasingly taking the train to get there.
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