Cutting the ribbon to celebrate the new parking spaces are (l-r): DRPT Director Jennifer Mitchell, VDOT Chief Deputy Commissioner Robert H. Cary, P.E., L.S., Chairman, Henrico County Board of Supervisors, Frank J. Thornton and Amtrak Manager State Supported Contracts Patricia Lusk-Milam.
RICHMOND, VA – Amtrak, the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) and the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) hosted a ceremony on June 28, 2018, to celebrate completion of a parking expansion project and track and signal work at the Staples Mill Road Station in the city’s northern suburbs.
The DRPT invested $8.5 million in VTA 2000 and Intercity Passenger Rail Operating and Capital dedicated state funds to add 299 new parking spots, doubling the lot capacity to 587 spaces, bike racks, and taxi/ride-sharing parking. ADA parking spaces and a dedicated bus-loading zone are also available, and the project provides better multi-modal access to the Greater Richmond Transit Company’s public transit network.
“Adding 299 spaces will help boost ridership as passengers will have a dependable parking lot to use,” said DRPT Director Jennifer Mitchell. “In addition, these additional parking spaces not only enhance the Amtrak customer experience but ensure better connectivity to local public transportation and economic opportunities for Virginians.”
The Richmond Staples Mill Road Station is the busiest Amtrak facility in the Southeast.
VDOT managed construction of the parking project, which includes new access for improved traffic flow, 31 new light poles with energy-efficient LED lights and 1,000 trees and shrubs with two reforestation plantings.
The Staples Mill Road Station is the busiest Amtrak station in the Southeast. In Fiscal Year 2017, nearly 374,000 customers began or ended their journey at the station. A total of 16 daily trains, including the Northeast Regional, Palmetto, Silver Star, Silver Meteor and Carolinian, serve the facility. Virginia’s capital is also served by the Main Street Station in downtown Richmond, which is a stop for Northeast Regional trains to and from Newport News.
Virginia is one of 18 states to fund Amtrak service for its citizens with dedicated annual state funding. The DRPT funds six daily Amtrak Northeast Regional services along four corridors throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Images courtesy of Tom Saunders/VDOT.
Amtrak established the Great American Stations Project in 2006 to educate communities on the benefits of redeveloping train stations, offer tools to community leaders to preserve their stations, and provide the appropriate Amtrak resources.
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