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Fall 2019
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Director's Message
Welcome to the fall edition of DRPT News! Thank you to everyone who provided feedback to our summer edition. Moving forward, I will send quarterly updates on our initiatives.
In this edition, you will read about key rail programs, such as the 10th anniversary of state-sponsored passenger service and the completion of the DC2RVA planning program. Passenger service continues to grow in the Commonwealth, and these programs set the stage for more advancements in the 2020s.
We continue to make important strides in transit as well. The Virginia Breeze and Richmond's Pulse Bus Rapid Transit have been tremendous successes. Ridership on both has far exceeded expectations. You also will read about two important programs under DRPT's direction: our Try Transit Week initiative and human services programs. These two programs provide important services to individuals throughout the state.
I hope that you enjoy reading this edition of DRPT News. Feel free to contact me with your questions and comments.
Jennifer Mitchell
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DRPT's mission is to facilitate and improve the mobility of the citizens of Virginia and to promote the efficient transport of goods and people in a safe, reliable, and cost-effective manner. Our primary areas of activity are rail, public transportation, and commuter services. We work with local, regional, state, and federal governments to accomplish this mission.
READ OUR DAILY NEWS CLIPS!
Every weekday morning, DRPT provides morning clips highlighting the latest news in rail, public transportation, and transportation demand management across the Commonwealth.
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Governor's Transportation Conference/Innovation Summit
Join transportation and innovation professionals for this year's summit to be held at the
Hyatt Regency Crystal City in Arlington, Virginia.
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Recognizing 10 years of State-Sponsored Passenger Rail Service
On October 1, 2009, Virginia started its first state-sponsored service by providing same-seat daily Amtrak service between Lynchburg and Boston. This was necessary due to the Passenger Rail Investment Act of 2008 requiring states with Amtrak services shorter than 750 miles and greater than 70 miles to assume a significant share of capital and operating costs for the routes or otherwise the routes would be discontinued.
To celebrate this occasion, October is Passenger Rail Month in Virginia. DRPT and Amtrak are offering limited $10 tickets for one-way travel between October 1-10 anywhere Amtrak Northeast Regional trains travel throughout Virginia and the District of Columbia. Individuals can book by using promo code, V110 at check out.
Since the start of the 2009 Lynchburg route, DRPT has expanded its state-sponsored service to now include four intercity passenger routes with a total of six daily round-trip trains originating in Newport News, Norfolk, Richmond, and Roanoke. The General Assembly has been a national leader on passenger rail service by providing dedicated funding for these services with the creation of the Intercity Passenger Rail Operating and Capital Fund in 2011. A percentage of the state's retail sales and use tax is dedicated to this fund to support operating and capital expenses of the service.
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Earlier this summer, DRPT and its project partners at VDOT, the Greater Richmond Transit Company (GRTC), the City of Richmond, and Henrico County were three times recognized by national transportation industry leaders for their work to deliver The Pulse, Richmond's 7.6 mile state-of-the-art bus rapid transit system that debuted in 2018.
At a panel featuring Director Mitchell, Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney, GRTC Chair Gary Anderson, and John Robert Smith of Transportation for America, the Greater Washington Partnership released its new case study, “Richmond’s Transit Revolution: GRTC Ridership and Accessibility Analysis,” analyzing the historic investment the project partners made to transformed GRTC into a national leader.
DRPT and VDOT were honored by their Southeastern Association of State Highway and Transportation (SASHTO) colleagues with the America's Transportation Award in the Quality of Life/Community Development category for their collaborative efforts to deliver The Pulse.
The Pulse also earned a Bronze Standard BRT rating, an evaluation tool for world-class bus rapid transit based on international best practices and administered by the international Institute for Transportation and Development Policy.
Since its launch in 2018, coupled with a state-funded system-wide bus network redesign to feed into the BRT corridor, The Pulse continues to exceed ridership expectations with an overall transit system ridership increase of 18%.
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Celebrating Try Transit Week
DRPT celebrated “Try Transit Week” September 16‐20, 2019. During this weeklong educational event, Virginians were encouraged to try the bus, commuter rail, ferry, or vanpool. Nearly 5,000 individuals pledged to try one of these options, an almost 200% increase from last year.
Participants who pledged to try transit were automatically entered for a chance to win a year of free transit service from a participating Virginia transit provider as well as a pair of round‐trip tickets aboard Virginia’s state sponsored Amtrak service. Other prizes included monthly or weekly passes for transit service in areas throughout Virginia.
Public transportation is an effective way of mitigating traffic congestion, improving air quality, and getting around Virginia. Transit services connect the Commonwealth to employment opportunities and make experiences more accessible to the community. In Fiscal Year 2019, Virginia saw a significant return on its investments in these services with Virginia's 41 transit agencies providing 171,927,129 trips, its 16 commuter assistance programs removing 3,278,720 automobile trips, and its 937 vanpools providing 1,939,000 trips.
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Looking to the Future: DC2RVA & Long Bridge
In September, the Federal Railroad Administration, in cooperation with DRPT, announced that the Record of Decision for the Washington, D.C. to Richmond Southeast Higher Speed Rail Project (DC2RVA) has been signed completing the Environmental Impact Statement study process and making the project eligible to receive additional federal funding to advance project planning.
DC2RVA's vision is to increase rail capacity in order to deliver additional and more reliable passenger and commuter rail parallel to the heavily congested Interstate 95 corridor. Upon completion, the project will bridge the growing megaregions of the Northeast and Southeast United States. Another benefit of DC2RVA's design accommodates future freight rail growth opportunities at the Port of Virginia in Norfolk, already the most rail-connected seaport on the East Coast.
In 2014, DRPT was awarded a $44 million federal grant funding nearly 80% of the Environmental Impact Study's costs. Additional investments from the Commonwealth and CSX enabled DRPT to also complete preliminary engineering and 30% design of the 123-mile CSX owned rail corridor running between Chesterfield County and the approach to the Long Bridge over the Potomac River in Arlington County.
The District of Columbia Department of Transportation released its draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Long Bridge project in September 2019. It estimated the cost of a second Long Bridge at approximately $1.9 billion. A public hearing about the project will be held on October 22, 2019.
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Fall Transportation Meetings
The Commonwealth Transportation Board invites the public to share feedback on transportation initiatives at nine meetings across Virginia this fall. In addition to DRPT staff, the Office of Intermodal Planning and Investment and the Virginia Department of Transportation will highlight transportation programs, discuss ideas, and answer questions about the Commonwealth’s multimodal transportation network.
Participation is welcome by attending these meetings or submitting comments online, by email, or by mail.
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Grantee Workshops
Throughout the fall, DPRT will be hosting a series of transit, rail, and transportation demand management grantee workshops. These workshops will update grantees as they prepare their Fiscal Year 2021 applications.
The date, time, and location of these workshops, as well as other public meetings DRPT hosts, can be found at DRPT's website.
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Expanding the Virginia Breeze Intercity Bus Service
The Virginia Breeze service launched on December 1, 2017, providing daily service between Blacksburg and Union Station in Washington, D.C. with stops in Christiansburg, Lexington, Staunton, Harrisonburg, Front Royal, Dulles Airport, and Arlington.
In Fiscal Year 2019, Virginia Breeze ridership was 24,532, far outpacing initial projections of 7,125. Farebox recovery for the service is 81% with the remainder funded through Federal Transit Administration funds.
DRPT recently completed a study examining potential routes for expansion. In determining these routes, DRPT used the following criteria: i) degree to which each route provides access to underserved populations; ii) potential ridership; iii) anticipated costs of operations; iv) projected fare revenue; and v) degree to which proposed service supplements existing service and fills service gaps.
Based on these criteria, DRPT recommended the following routes to start service in 2020:
- Danville to Washington, D.C. (Projected Annual Ridership: 10,050)
- Martinsville to Richmond (Projected Annual Ridership: 5,500)
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Improving Mobility for Seniors & Individuals with Disabilities
DRPT is responsible for the allocation of funds from the Federal Transit Administration's 5310 program. The program's purpose is to improve mobility for seniors and individuals with disabilities by removing barriers to transportation services and expanding the transportation mobility options available.
The 5310 program provides funding for the following:
- Accessible vehicles for public agencies and private non-profit agencies that are transporting seniors or individuals with disabilities; and
- Operating expenditures to enhance paratransit beyond the minimum requirement of the Americans with Disabilities Act. This includes expansion of service hours, days, and areas; alternatives to public transportation; and voucher programs.
In Fiscal Year 2019, 1,878,174 seniors and individuals with disabilities were transported using the 5310 program as well as other specialized programs.
DRPT is concluding an effort to update Virginia’s Coordinated Human Serviced Mobility Plan and is currently receiving public comment. This update involved a myriad of local, state, and national organizations. During a nine month outreach process, nearly 400 people provided input for the plan, voicing challenges and concerns from the perspective of citizens, human service agencies, transportation providers, local and state government, and national transportation network companies. The plan synthesizes these challenges and includes prioritized recommendations to bridge identified gaps and forge partnerships where they do not currently exist. With this plan in place, Virginia’s near future investments in transportation for seniors and individuals with disabilities will be guided by the Commonwealth’s own citizens and stakeholders.
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