Richmond Staples Mill Road station is an Amtrak train station located in unincorporated Henrico County, Virginia, about 6 miles (10 km) northwest of downtown Richmond. It is served by the daily Carolinian, Floridian, Palmetto, Silver Meteor, and several daily Northeast Regional trains.
Richmond, VA Staples Mill Road | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Staples Mill Road station from the parking lot | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| General information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | 7519 Staples Mill Road (US 33) Henrico, Virginia United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 37°37′04″N 77°29′49″W / 37.6178°N 77.4969°W | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Owned by | Amtrak | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Platforms | 2 island platforms | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tracks | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Connections |  Amtrak Thruway GRTC: 18 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Construction | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Parking | Yes; paid | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Accessible | Yes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Station code | Amtrak: RVR | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | November 15, 1975 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Passengers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FY 2023 | 403,892[1] (Amtrak) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Services | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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History
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Amtrak took over intercity passenger rail service in the United States on May 1, 1971. Ex-Seaboard Coast Line trains (Champion, Silver Meteor, and Silver Star) continued to use Broad Street Station in Richmond, while the Newport News section of the ex-Chesapeake and Ohio Railway George Washington (later James Whitcomb Riley) continued to use Main Street Station.[2]: 254 Amtrak abandoned Broad Street Station on November 15, 1975, with trains moving to Richmond Staples Mill Road station in suburban Henrico County.[3][4] It was designed by David Volkert and Associates.[4]
The James Whitcomb Riley moved from Main Street to a station at Ellerson (Mechanicsville) on October 15, 1975.[5][2]: 254 Its Newport News section was discontinued on June 15, 1976; it was replaced with the New York City–Newport News Colonial, which stopped at Staples Mill Road.[2]: 254 Staples Mill Road station was Amtrak's only Richmond station until 2003, when Regional (later Northeast Regional) trains serving Newport News began also stopping at Main Street.[5]
A second island platform was added around 2009. The parking lot was doubled in size in 2018.[4][6][7]
Future plans
editIn May 2019, the federal and state governments approved the DC to Richmond plan for expanded rail service between Washington and the Richmond area. This plan would include improvements to Staples Mill station: two accessible platforms, a pedestrian overpass or underpass, and replacement of the station building.[8][9] All Richmond trains would stop at both Staples Mill and Main Street, after extensive track improvements. A new bridge would be built over the James River, and a rail yard constructed in South Richmond. The 2019 plan is coordinated with updates to the Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor plan.
In October 2024, the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority was awarded a $5.8 million federal grant to improve platforms and accessibility and add a platform canopy at the station.[10]
References
edit- ^ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2023: Commonwealth of Virginia" (PDF). Amtrak. March 2024. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
- ^ a b c Warner, David C.; Goldberg, Bruce (2021). Fifty Years of Amtrak Trains: A Comprehensive Survey of Amtrak Routes: 1971–2021. Bucklin, Missouri: White River Productions. ISBN 978-1-932804-70-6.
- ^ "Amtrak to Start Use of Station Nov. 15". The Daily Press. Newport News, Virginia. October 23, 1975. p. 8. Retrieved October 14, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c "Richmond, VA - Staples Mill Road Station (RVR)". Great American Stations. Amtrak.
- ^ a b "Richmond, VA - Main Street Station (RVM)". Great American Stations. Amtrak.
- ^ "Staples Mill Amtrak station debuts new parking expansion". WWBT-TV. June 28, 2018. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
- ^ Cline, Alexandria (June 28, 2018). "Amtrak announces completion of parking expansion at Staples Mill Road station". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
- ^ "Home". dc2rvarail.com.
- ^ https://dc2rvarail.com/files/5215/5913/5857/Part09_Chpt_4_Preferred_Alternative_DC2RVA_FEIS.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ^ "FY 2023-2024 Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Grant Program: Project Summaries" (PDF). Federal Railroad Administration. p. 24.
External links
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Media related to Richmond Staples Mill Road station at Wikimedia Commons