| “The strength of these January ridership numbers – during what is usually a slow travel month – shows that demand for rail service across the Commonwealth continues to grow,” said DJ Stadtler, Executive Director of VPRA. “It also reveals that more and more travelers are looking for alternatives and will choose rail when the service is reliable, safe, and on time.” January’s numbers follow a strong year for the Commonwealth’s Amtrak Virginia service with 1,021,452 passengers traveling on all state-supported trains for calendar year 2022 – which set a record for yearly ridership as it surpassed the previous record of 953,008 set in 2019. During the year VPRA and Amtrak launched two additional roundtrips – one between Roanoke and Washington, DC and one between Norfolk and Washington, DC – and, also resumed one roundtrip between Newport News and Washington, DC that had been discontinued due to the pandemic. The Commonwealth of Virginia first launched state-supported passenger rail service in 2009 with one roundtrip between Washington, DC and Lynchburg. Since that time, the state’s service has grown to include eight roundtrips daily with stops at 17 stations along four corridors. All four routes provide service within Virginia and to Washington, DC and points north including Philadelphia, New York, and Boston. | 
