2023 VPRA ANNUAL REPORT

In the three years since the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority was created, we have worked to reach our goals to promote, sustain, and expand the availability of passenger and commuter rail service in the Commonwealth.  Our focus has been building new infrastructure for a dedicated passenger rail corridor while growing our existing Amtrak Virginia service. Our fiscal year 2023 highlights include:

• Reaching an unprecedented growth in ridership, topping pre-pandemic numbers, and continuing to grow with more than a million passengers traveling on Virginia state-supported trains in the last year. 
• Advancing numerous infrastructure projects to key design work milestones – among them Long Bridge and the Franconia Springfield Bypass to 30% design and Alexandria 4th Track to 60% design. 
• Securing $3.2 million in dedicated federal funding for the New River Valley Passenger Service Extension and the Newport News Transportation Center. 
• Advancing the Long Bridge Project from early design to actively procuring construction contractors.  

• Continuing to secure necessary funding including a $20 million Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Grant awarded by the US Department of Transportation (USDOT) in support of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Crossing of the Long Bridge Project.  
• Working with our partners at Amtrak, designing a more sustainable way to travel with the new Amtrak Airo dual-powered equipment with both electric and diesel engine capabilities. 
• Growing our team from a few dozen to nearly 50 professionals all with varied experiences and backgrounds but working towards a common goal. 

Through our Transforming Rail in Virginia initiative, the Commonwealth is taking the lead in the expansion of passenger rail, building the infrastructure needed to develop a new rail corridor for its citizens -- something not seen anywhere else in the country. The construction of Long Bridge will alleviate rail congestion, not only between Virginia and Washington, DC, but along the entire East Coast of the US, and the planned infrastructure improvements will result in expanded service that is more reliable and convenient. 

Each of these efforts are noteworthy, and combined, they represent a commitment to passenger rail that will benefit Virginians for generations to come. 

Since the creation of the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority in 2020, the General Assembly’s vision to expand passenger rail service to reach even more Virginians has begun to take shape. Partnerships have grown, agreements have been signed, and plans are being advanced. We have seen the strength of our Amtrak Virginia service evolve as ridership continues to set records, far exceeding pre-pandemic numbers. This growth shows that passenger rail will be an integral part of the Commonwealth’s multimodal transportation system for years to come. 

VPRA’s Transforming Rail in Virginia initiative is doing just that – transforming passenger rail throughout Virginia. As one of 17 states with state-supported Amtrak service, Virginia is breaking the mold by not only offering passenger rail service, but by building the necessary infrastructure to greatly expand service.   

As we look to the coming year, Virginians will see our commitment to passenger rail come to life as construction is slated to begin on several infrastructure projects, most notably Long Bridge. This once-in-a-lifetime project will connect the Commonwealth with Washington, DC, across the Potomac River. It will add two new tracks, doubling the rail capacity across the river and alleviating a chokepoint that has caused delays to both passenger and freight trains for years.   

Additional capacity will also be built in Northern Virginia to align with the bridge once constructed. All of these projects will work together to provide more consistent and convenient rail service along the East Coast, benefiting not only Virginia, but also our neighboring states. Our projects will begin in Northern Virginia but our commitment to expanding passenger rail extends throughout the Commonwealth.  We are working to expand service from Roanoke into the New River Valley as well as taking the first steps to improve service between Richmond and Raleigh. While these projects are in their infancy, their successful completion will bring reliable passenger rail service to even more Virginians.   

Through the hard work of our VPRA team and partners, Virginia is a national leader in passenger rail. We are striving toward our goal to promote, sustain, and expand the availability of passenger and commuter rail service in the Commonwealth. 

Promote, sustain, and expand the availability of passenger and commuter rail service in the Commonwealth.  

To deliver passenger rail service as an integrated, affordable, convenient travel option that benefits the Commonwealth.  

The Transforming Rail in Virginia initiative will change the future of rail transportation by acquiring railroad right-of-way, increasing rail capacity, and reworking passenger and freight operations to improve reliability and increase rail service in Virginia. Several VPRA projects are moving into critical project delivery phases, including final design and construction.

View the map below to learn more about projects across the Commonwealth that have hit major milestones in FY2023, and visit  https://vapassengerrailauthority.org/projects/  to learn more.

Improving safety near railroads requires greater public awareness and understanding of the risks involved and ways to prevent these tragic and avoidable injuries and fatalities. VPRA is implementing a public outreach and awareness strategies to emphasize the dangers of ignoring safety warnings at level crossing and trespassing on rail property to reduce avoidable deaths, injuries, and damage caused by incidents involving trains and citizens.

In September 2022 and 2023, VPRA recognized Rail Safety Month with an official proclamation from Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin and an online toolkit with rail safety materials, available for use by all Virginians.  VPRA worked with our partners, VRE, Operation Lifesaver, and YOVASO-Youth of Virginia Speak Out, to host rail safety at events around the state, including at the Richmond Railroad Museum, the Children’s Museum of Richmond, Ettrick Station in Petersburg, and the VRE Stations in Woodbridge and Alexandria.  An Op-Ed on the importance of rail safety by VPRA Executive Director DJ Stadtler also appeared in the Virginian-Pilot. 

Ongoing and varied community and stakeholder engagement is essential to VPRA’s work. It informs us of current and ongoing passenger rail needs in the Commonwealth, allows us to educate about and build support for the TRV vision, and helps us identify potential concerns or conflicts that could hinder VPRA's progress. We actively build relationships with all levels of government, residents, businesses, advocacy groups, current riders, future riders, train operators, rail facility owners, funding partners, and beyond. Strong lines of communication with our diverse stakeholders allow VPRA to adapt and grow over time and maintain a widespread public commitment to high-quality passenger rail investments in the Commonwealth.    

VPRA also works to ensure outreach is accessible online through website updates, e-blasts, online surveys, and an active social media presence.  We encourage questions and reply individually to all inquiries. Through these diverse outreach strategies, we are able to engage our current followers and grow that base of interest.   

VPRA’s community engagement in fiscal year 2023 has ranged from large-scale virtual public meetings to pop-ups at VRE stations and community events, briefings, door-to-door canvassing, letters, and neighborhood discussions.

Passenger rail is the most energy-efficient mode of transportation on a passenger-miles-traveled (PMT) basis, emitting 46% less greenhouse gas emissions than cars and 34% less than airplanes. It also removes tens of millions of passengers from highways and airports each year, mitigating air pollution and encouraging denser development around stations. 

VPRA is working to reduce emissions and highway use by increasing the diversity of transportation modes and choices. VPRA's suite of projects will include new passenger rail service, which will reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions by shifting passengers from highways to rail.  Our projects are estimated to avoid 850,000 metric tons of CO₂ emissions over 30 years, and the environmental cost savings are estimated to be over $34 million. 

VPRA has established strategic goals and performance measures. These goals align with our mission, vision, and values and set us on a path for the future.