The Richmond Staples Mill Road

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. States and nine cities in Canada ...

station is located in unincorporated

Henrico County Henrico County , officially the County of Henrico, is located in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 334,389 making it the fifth-most populous county in Virginia. Henrico County is incl ...

, about 5 miles (8 km) north of downtown Richmond. The station was designed by David Volkert and Associates, and was built in 1975 as a replacement for Main Street Station in downtown Richmond, which had been heavily damaged by flooding from

Hurricane Agnes Hurricane Agnes in 1972 was the costliest hurricane to hit the United States at the time, causing an estimated $2.1 billion in damage. The hurricane's death toll was 128. The effects of Agnes were widespread, from the Caribbean to Canada, ...

. At its opening, it also inherited trains that had called at Richmond's other former union station, Broad Street Station, with a bus connection to the short-lived Richmond–Ellerson Street Station. Although limited Amtrak service returned to Main Street Station in December 2003, Staples Mill Road remains the primary rail station for the Richmond area, and all Richmond trains make a stop there. Richmond Main Street Station only sees trains that terminate there or at

Newport News Newport News () is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 186,247. Located in the Hampton Roads region, it is the 5th most populous city in Virginia and 140th most populous city in the Uni ...

, since the other trains bypass downtown Richmond to the west. The station has an indoor waiting room with restrooms, a snack bar, and a ticket window. Staples Mill Amtrak Platform Entrance

Nearby modes of transportation

There are pedestrian sidewalks along Staples Mill Road, but the area surrounding the train station is a suburban sprawl area built in the 1970s. A designated line-up area for taxicabs is onsite next to the train station parking lot.

GRTC The Greater Richmond Transit Company, known locally as GRTC Transit System, is a local government-owned public service company which operates an urban-suburban bus line based in Richmond, Virginia. In , the system had a ridership of , or about p ...

bus service is available (via the Henrico County Government Center Shuttl
18
. There are a few rental car agencies within a couple of miles of the station, as are

Greyhound The English Greyhound, or simply the Greyhound, is a breed of dog, a sighthound which has been bred for coursing, greyhound racing and hunting. Since the rise in large-scale adoption of retired racing Greyhounds, the breed has seen a resurgenc ...

and other intercity bus services. The payment for parking is through a set of self-service ticketing kiosks, at less than $10/day. The station has 589 spots. Henrico County completed a multi-mode transportation upgrade in 2018. Staples Mill Road Station became the site of a new express bus station and the station building and platforms were improved. The parking lots were expanded and new taxi/ride-sharing zones were established.

Train service

As of July 2022, the station is served by nine routes for a total of 18 trains daily, all of which continue north to

Washington Union Station Washington Union Station is a major train station, transportation hub, and leisure destination in Washington, D.C. Designed by Daniel Burnham and opened in 1907, it is Amtrak's headquarters, the railroad's second-busiest station, and North Ame ...

and New York

Pennsylvania Station Pennsylvania Station (often abbreviated Penn Station) is a name applied by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) to several of its grand passenger terminals. Several are still in active use by Amtrak and other transportation services; others have been ...

(some continuing as far north as

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South Station South Station, officially The Governor Michael S. Dukakis Transportation Center at South Station, is the largest railroad station and intercity bus terminal in Greater Boston and New England's second-largest transportation center after Logan In ...

): * ''

Northeast Regional The ''Northeast Regional'' is an intercity rail service operated by Amtrak in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic United States. In the past it has been known as the ''NortheastDirect'', ''Acela Regional'', or ''Regional''. It is Amtrak's busi ...

'' - six daily routes, two of which terminate in

, three of which terminate in

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

, and one of which terminates at

Richmond Main Street Station Richmond Main Street Station, officially the Main Street Station and Trainshed, is a historic railroad station and office building in Richmond, Virginia. It was built in 1901, and is served by Amtrak. It is also an intermodal station with Richm ...

* ''

Silver Meteor The ''Silver Meteor'' is a passenger train operated by Amtrak between New York City and Miami, Florida. Introduced in 1939 as the first diesel-powered streamliner between New York and Florida, it was the flagship train of the Seaboard Air Line R ...

'' and '' Silver Star'' - two daily routes continuing south to

Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

. Note: ''

'' service is currently suspended until October 2022. * '' Carolinian'' - one daily route continuing southwest to

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

* '' Palmetto'' - one daily train continuing south to

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the British colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later t ...

As of 2018, Staples Mill Road is the busiest Amtrak station in Virginia, and the busiest in the Southeast, with 373,800 boardings and detrainings yearly. This is mainly due to the large number of passengers traveling to and from Washington and points north.

Future plans

The Amtrak schedule at Staples Mill may increase to 30 trains per day, 15 in each direction, by 2030. The May 2019 federal and state approved ''DC to Richmond'' plan for expanded rail service between Washington and the Richmond area would result in more trains per day, and the following Staples Mill Station improvements:https://dc2rvarail.com/files/5215/5913/5857/Part09_Chpt_4_Preferred_Alternative_DC2RVA_FEIS.pdf * Two new level-boarding platforms (the current platforms are low-level) * Pedestrian overpass or underpass * Replace the station building 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 The Southeast Corridor (SEC) is a proposed passenger rail transportation project in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States to extend high-speed passenger rail services from Washington, D.C. south through Richmond, Petersburg with a spu ...

plan.

References

External links

Richmond Staples Mill Road Amtrak Station – USA Rail Guide (TrainWeb)
{{Amtrak Virginia stations Amtrak stations in Virginia Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach stations in Virginia Transportation in Richmond, Virginia Railway stations in the United States opened in 1975 GRTC Pulse stations 2018 establishments in Virginia Bus stations in Virginia Proposed bus stations in the United States Proposed public transportation in Virginia 1975 establishments in Virginia Transport infrastructure completed in 2018

Nearby modes of transportation

Train service

Future plans

See also

References

External links