Data Stories | The Draft 2027 Six-Year Improvement Program

Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation sent this bulletin at 05/15/2026 09:00 AM EDT

Welcome to the Department of Rail and Public Transportation’s Data Stories, and thank you for signing up! This monthly series aims to find the narrative in data DRPT collects and uses, highlighting Virginia’s rail and transit community. Last month, DRPT released its draft FY2027-2032 Six-Year Improvement Program (SYIP) to the public, previewing the rail, public transportation, and commuter programs that DRPT will fund. This month, we dive into the SYIP, what it is, and what it funds.

What is the Six-Year Improvement Program?

The Department of Rail and Public Transportation is responsible for allocating funding for rail and public transportation programs and projects across Virginia. The SYIP is the vehicle for allocating these funds to projects across the Commonwealth. In other words, the SYIP is the portfolio of projects and programs that receive allocations from DRPT. DRPT’s SYIP allocates funding to a range of projects, including everything from supporting public transportation operating costs, to major construction projects, rail expansion projects, as well as planning grants, commuter assistance programs, and more. These programs and projects, in the form of grants, support Virginia’s public transportation providers, commuter programs, and freight, passenger, and commuter railroads to get people and goods to where they need to be.

The SYIP operates on a regular cycle, beginning with the opening of the grant cycle each December preceding the new fiscal year. DRPT releases the SYIP to the public in April and presents it to the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB), Virginia’s state-level decision making body for transportation funding and projects. After a period of public comment, in-person meetings across Virginia, and a virtual DRPT-hosted meeting, the CTB votes to approve the SYIP in June. The adopted SYIP goes into effect at the beginning of the next fiscal year, or July 1st. Over the course of that fiscal year, DRPT distributes the funding to the selected projects.

Allocations

First, what is funded in the Six-Year Improvement Program and how much is being allocated in FY27? From a high-level perspective, the SYIP’s funding can be broken down into a few high-level categories. The chart below breaks down the funding in the draft FY27 SYIP by funding area:

In total, the draft FY 2027 SYIP allocates $1.1 billion over the upcoming fiscal year to rail, public transportation, and other projects. This is a nearly 11% decrease from the final FY 2026 SYIP; however, this is largely due to a decrease in pass-through funds to the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority and the expiration of additional general funds appropriated by the General Assembly to WMATA in FY 2026. Although the headline numbers decrease, if the VPRA pass-through funds and general funds for WMATA were excluded from the denominator, the overall allocations increase by 4.9%.

WMATA is allocated $463M in the draft FY 2027 SYIP, of which $154M is regional funding that DRPT passes through. WMATA is the single largest provider of public transportation in Virginia, providing roughly 92 million trips in Virginia alone in CY 2025, nearly 60% of all public transportation trips in the Commonwealth.

Public transportation broadly includes DRPT’s statewide operating assistance, capital assistance, and transit ridership incentive programs, as well as dedicated operating and capital assistance for the Virginia Railway Express.

DRPT passes through some funding for our sister agency the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority (VPRA), which supports VPRA’s objectives to promote, sustain, and enhance passenger rail in Virginia.

DRPT also allocates some federal funding, primarily from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). These funds are a mix of FTA formula funding for small urban and rural public transportation providers and other grants programs.

Other public transportation funding includes specialty DRPT programs, such as Commuter Assistance Programs, technical assistance, State Safety Oversight, human service transportation, and toll-funded commuter choice programs. DRPT rail includes both dedicated funding from the Commonwealth Rail Fund to support freight rail expansion and rail preservation, as well as for rail planning from both State and Federal sources.

Public Transportation Funding

The draft FY 2027 SYIP plans to allocate over $930 million to public transportation. These funds support public transportation operators across Virginia with operating costs, capital projects including construction and maintenance, as well as planning and special programs. Funds included in the SYIP come from a mix of sources, including the Commonwealth Mass Transit Fund, federal funds, regional funds, and other programs like express lane concession payments. The table below breaks down public transportation funding by area:

Rail Funding

person with suitcase boarding Amtrak train

The draft FY 2027 SYIP allocates and distributes over $126 million to rail programs and planning and in pass-through funds to the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority. DRPT’s rail programs help support rail infrastructure to maintain a state of good repair or expand capacity, unlocking economic opportunities and taking trucks off of Virginia’s roads and highways. DRPT’s rail funding also supports rail planning efforts, including developing Virginia’s Statewide Rail Plan, which is (at the time of publishing) in the middle of its 2026 update process. (Note: DRPT will host a virtual Statewide Rail Plan meeting on June 1 at 6:30 p.m. Click here to register for the meeting.) DRPT also distributes funds to the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority to support their passenger rail projects and programs. The table below breaks down rail funding by area:

Projecting the Next Six Years

The draft SYIP projects the allocations of funds over the next six fiscal years. The table below shows the projections of funding for the next six years in the draft FY 2027 SYIP:

The SYIP Data Portal and Public Hearings

DRPT encourages the public to provide feedback on the draft program by attending public meetings or submitting comments online, by email, or by mail. The CTB will host nine public meetings across Virginia, providing opportunities for community members to learn more about proposed projects and share feedback. Public input will also be accepted for new projects valued at more than $25 million.

DRPT will host a virtual public hearing on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. Community members can participate by registering in advance. To attend, register here.

DRPT’s mission is to connect and improve the quality of life for all Virginians with innovative transportation solutions. Our vision is a connected Commonwealth with an integrated multimodal network that serves every person, every business, and every need. DRPT’s Six-Year Improvement Program provides funding for rail and public transportation initiatives across the Commonwealth, enabling Virginia’s rail and public transportation network to thrive. Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up to get Data Stories directly in your inbox! Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.

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