Southeast High Speed Rail

VPRA and Norfolk Southern in Discussions for New Rail Agreement - VPRA NEWS RELEASE - June 4, 2024 Would provide benefits for VRE and the New River Valley RICHMOND — The Virginia Passenger Rail Authority (VPRA) announced today that it is in preliminary discussions with Norfolk Southern Corporation to purchase the Manassas Line and to pursue an option to extend passen...

Take Action: Stop the cuts to Rail and Transit Funding. The US House Transportation-Housing and Urban Development Sub-Committee (THUD) released their FY 2024 Budget which slashes the annual General Fund appropriation for passenger rail and public transportation by 80 percent from FY 2024 authorized levels!

Calling all RVA & Rail Fans! VHSR is launching a limited run (only 200 available) postcard with iconic artwork from RVA Coffee Stain to celebrate Main Street Station's postage stamp. Make a special donation, and you'll receive a numbered postcard with the USPS Main Street Station stamp!

Learn more: http://ow.ly/GfXQ50Nii6m

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Transforming (Intercity & Commuter) Rail Across Virginia featuring DJ Stadtler with VPRA and Rich Dalton with VRE. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar. VHSR 2022 Virtual Town Hall Series presents DJ Stadtler, executive director of the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority and Rich Dalton, CEO of Virginia Railway Express to discuss "Transforming (Intercity & Commuter) Rail Across Virginia". Our Virtual Town Hall series is made possible by the generous s...

Our next Virtual Town Hall starts at noon (ET) featuring Jennifer Mitchell with the Federal Railroad Administration. It's free and going to be really informative, so come'on and join us!

RSVP here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_pw29RPjzQTWv0MHxut9E4A

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Investing in America's Future featuring Jennifer Mitchell, Deputy Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar. VHSR 2022 Virtual Town Hall Series presents Jennifer Mitchell, Deputy Administrator of the FRA to discuss "Investing in America's Future". Our Virtual Town Hall series is made possible by the generous sponsors: JBG Smith, Siemens, and WSP.

Expanding Passenger Rail across North Carolina & the Southeast Expanding Rail across North Carolina and the Southeast featuring Jason Orthner, Director of NCDOT's Rail Division.Proudly supported by WSP, Siemens, and JBG ...

Have you RSVP'd for our 2022 Town Halls yet?

We have incredible speakers from NC By Train, Federal Railroad Administration, Virginia Passenger Rail Authority, and Virginia Railway Express

RSVP Here:
Town Hall 1: VHSR.com/Townhall2022
Town Hall 2: VHSR.com/Townhall2022(2)
Town Hall 3: VHSR.com/Townhall2022(3)

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Expanding Rail across North Carolina and the Southeast featuring Jason Orthner, Director of NCDOT's Rail Division. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar. VHSR 2022 Virtual Town Hall Series presents Jason Orthner, Director of the NC DOT Rail Division to discuss "Expanding Rail across North Carolina and the Southeast". Our Virtual Town Hall series is made possible by the generous sponsors: JBG Smith

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Expanding Rail across North Carolina and the Southeast featuring Jason Orthner, Director of NCDOT's Rail Division. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar. VHSR 2023 Virtual Town Hall Series presents Jason Orthner, Director of the NC DOT Rail Division to discuss "Expanding Rail across North Carolina and the Southeast". Our Virtual Town Hall series is made possible by the generous sponsors: JBG Smith

Great news North Carolina Department of Transportation!

https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nc/charlotte/news/2022/06/01/raleigh-to-richmond-rail-line-get-a--58-million-boost-from-the-feds

Raleigh-to-Richmond rail line gets a $58 million boost from the feds This project has been in the works for more than a decade.

Danny Plaugher column: Virginia shouldn't repeat Maryland's gas tax mistake Gas tax holidays sound great. But like most things in life that sound too good to be true, peel back the window dressing. Look to Virginia’s neighbor to the north

Take Action: Stop the cuts to Rail and Transit The Administration is proposing cuts of $140 million to our rail and transit programs.

Between playing in the snow and relaxing, we hope you'll take a few seconds to complete this New River Valley Passenger Rail Station Survey from Virginia Passenger Rail Authority.

Let your voice be heard: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NewRiverValleyStationSurvey1

vhsr.salsalabs.org Please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to help us keep improving our trains. Virginians for High Speed Rail is a 501(C)(3) not-for-profit organization. All Contributions are Tax-Deductible. 

Youngkin inheriting massive rail projects Virginia’s transportation system was far from the biggest issue during the gubernatorial election, and Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin spoke sparingly on the campaign trail about his vision on public transit and

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: VRPI "How to Protect Underutilized and Abandoned Rail Corridors for Future Rail Use AND Create Wonderful Rail Trails". After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar. The Virginia Rail Policy Institute presents "How to Protect Underutilized and Abandoned Rail Corridors for Future Rail Use AND Create Wonderful Rail Trails" Featuring Kelly Pack and Andrea Ferster --Rails to Trails Conservancy Hosted by Virginians for High Speed Rail

Staples Mill Road Small Area Plan – Opportunities and Issues Survey Please take this quick survey to weigh in.

Needless to say the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act is a big deal, especially for rail.

In addition to funding Amtrak NEC which will benefit all of VA's Regionals, it invests in the National network which could lead to a daily Cardinal!

Before the Transforming Rail in Virginia project, the Commonwealth was aggressive in pursuing Federal Railroad Administration CRISI and Federal-State Partnership Grants. VA ended up securing about 5% of all CRISI grant funding and 2% of all Fed-State Partnership Grants.

Remember that's BEFORE VA decided to invest $4 billion of our own funding in Transforming Rail program.

If the average success holds that means the IIJA could net VA nearly $1.4 billion in grants to expediate additional train service, build more tracks, etc. HUGE!

The Future of Commuter Rail in the Capital Region - VHSR 2021 Town Hall Virginians for High Speed Rail presents our Virtual Town Hall series featuring Rich Dalton with Virginia Railway Express, Joe McAndrew with the Greater Washi...

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: VHSR Town Hall - The Future Commuter Rail in the Capital Region. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar. VHSR Town Hall #4: Crossing the Potomac: The future of Commuter Rail in the Capital Region featuring Rich Dalton, Virginia Railway Express; Joe McAndrew, Greater Washington Partnership; and Jay Corbalis, JBG Smith.

Good news, ridership on Virginia's Amtrak Regionals has returned to nearly 70% of pre-pandemic levels, while our National trains are at 80% of pre-pandemic ridership.

To quote the fantastic (& fake) Mark Twain quote "The tales of passenger rails demise are GREATLY exaggerated"

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: VHSR Town Hall featuring VA Dept. of Rail & Public Transportation Director Jennifer Mitchell & VA Passenger Rail Authority DJ Stadtler. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about... VHSR Virtual Town Hall featuring VA Dept. of Rail & Public Transportation Director Jennifer Mitchell & VA Passenger Rail Authority DJ Stadtler “What's Next? Passenger Rail in Virginia” Our Virtual Town Hall series is made possible by the generosity of our sponsors: Siemens Mobility, JBG Smith, T...

SRP Commonwealth Corridor Where do you travel by rail in Virginia? Take our Commonwealth Corridor survey today!

You are invited to join VHSR's Town Hall featuring Amtrak President Stephen Gardner & VA Transportation Secretary Shannon Valentine. VHSR Virtual Transportation Town Hall featuring Amtrak President Stephen Gardner and Virginia Secretary of Transportation Shannon Valentine “The True Story of the VA-CSX Rail Deal: Lessons Learned and the Future of Passenger Rail” Our Virtual Town Hall series is made possible by the generosity o...

Amtrak signs deal for 83 multi-powered trains. Some will replace rail cars that are 50 years old. Under the plan announced Wednesday, Amtrak will replace nearly 40 percent of its rail car fleet by 2031 and invest $2 billion in equipment upgrades systemwide.

Virginia is a rising leader in passenger rail. Here’s how it happened. The quest to get more residents on trains has earned Virginia accolades and a national spotlight, particularly as new transportation priorities in Washington elevate multimodal travel with an eye on reducing greenhouse gas emissions.