Amtrak Northeast Regional Route 51 recently launched, connecting downtown Richmond, Va., to Washington D.C.
The new route is the first under Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam’s Transforming Rail in Virginia Program. The $3.7 billion program will connect the Northeast and Southeast corridors in the national rail network.
“If you’ve ever been stuck on I-95, you know we can’t pave our way out of congestion,” Northam said at Main Street Station when the first train departed. “This new train offers quick, reliable service from the Commonwealth’s capital to Washington, D.C., connecting our two cities and making it easier for thousands of Virginians to get to work in the morning. Virginia is leading the nation in expanded access to high-performance rail — and I look forward to many more milestones ahead.”
The new service has multiple stops in the Northeast Corridor and three daily departure times.
The Virginia Passenger Rail Authority supports four Northeast Regional routes: Newport News, Norfolk, Richmond, and Roanoke. Service to and from Richmond’s Staples Mill Station was suspended in March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Service resumed this month.
Virginia is constructing a new Long Bridge over the Potomac dedicated to passenger and commuter rail in partnership with CSX, Amtrak, and VRE.