The Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization has been hard at work in advancing passenger rail into Hampton Roads. The HRTPO staff, in partnership with its partners and stakeholders, is steadily advancing the HRTPO Board’s Vision for Passenger Rail, as adopted by resolution in October 2009. To advance this vision, efforts undertaken include:

• Bringing conventional passenger rail to Norfolk
• Station development on the Peninsula and Southside

Next Stop Norfolk – March 2012 Update

Starting in December 2012, residents in Hampton Roads will hear the ‘All Aboard’ call from Amtrak’s new passenger rail service to Norfolk, Virginia. Dubbed Next Stop Norfolk, the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) is partnering with Amtrak, Norfolk Southern, and CSX Incorporated to realize passenger rail service from Norfolk to the Northeast Regional Corridor.

To realize this project, DRPT and its partners have been hard at work at planning, designing, and constructing improvements along the Petersburg to Norfolk rail corridor. Those efforts include:

• Construction nearly complete of the Harbor Park passenger rail platform. (photo at left)
• Construction ongoing of the Norfolk train turning and servicing facility.
• Discussions and design work of the Norfolk multimodal station facility improvements to connect the following services:
  • Tide Light Rail
  • HRT Ferry
  • HRT Bus Service
  • Amtrak connector bus service
  • Amtrak Passenger Rail service

• Design work for Portlock Rail Yard improvements (circled in red) are complete. Bidding underway for construction.
• Design work on Petersburg Collier Connection (circled in red) completed by CSX and reviewed by DRPT. Pending a Notice to Proceed from DRPT.
• Grading work on Norfolk Southern’s component of Collier Connection is complete; track work near completion – adjustments to be made upon CSX connection work.
• Facility coordination meetings being held between DRPT, CSX, and Norfolk Southern.

• 

  Coordination between Norfolk Southern, DRPT, and Petersburg on minimizing impacts to the Johnson Road highway construction project (circled in blue.)
• Construction for Norfolk Southern running track between Poe and Walnut Hill (marked by white box) is underway.
• Bi-weekly update meetings between partners to efficiently advance and deliver the project
• Field surveys continue on the design of the US 460 corridor signal and crossover improvements
• Amtrak technical service agreement has been executed; work underway on service design

For additional information and project updates, consult DRPT’s project website: Next Stop Norfolk