The Loop | July-August

Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation sent this bulletin at 09/29/2026 12:00 PM EDT

Thank you for returning to the Loop, where we kept things cool while the weather heated up during July and August.

Take a gentle summer Virginia Breeze through this newsletter to get in the Loop about all things Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT), from volunteering with children to volunteering with chicken and all the conferences and celebrations in between.

Best Workplaces for Commuters Event

Chris Arabia participated in an event to kick off the application period for organizations to be recognized as a Best Workplace in Virginia for Commuters and to celebrate Virginia being awarded the status of having the best workplaces for commuters in the country.

FeedMore Volunteering

Staff volunteered doing food preparation at FeedMore over the summer, cutting up chicken breast and catching up.

GRTC TAP Into Transit Event

DRPT staff had a hoot and a half at the Greater Richmond Transit Company’s TAP Into Transit event.

ART and Aspire Volunteering

Arlington Transit (ART) hosted local elementary school students participating in the Aspire program for a visit to their new operations facility. Lauren Breyer, current DRPT team member and former ART employee returned to lend a hand in the day.

Bristol CTB Meeting

Director Zimmerman and Avery Daugherty traveled to Bristol for the July Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) meeting using our agency’s two favorite modes: plane and car, obviously.

NVTA Policy Forum

Director Zimmerman participated in an event hosted by the Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance (NVTA) along with Walter Alcorn and Katie Choe. The Director spoke about why we need to prioritize transit-oriented development (TOD) and how it can positively impact affordable housing.

WTS Hampton Roads Scholarship Wine Raffle

Director Zimmerman also gave remarks and drew lucky tickets at a wine raffle to raise money for scholarships led by the Hampton Roads Chapter of the Women in Transportation Seminar (WTS).

ODU Virginia Breeze Tabling

Miriam Foster spent a Saturday tabling at Old Dominion University (ODU) to encourage off-campus students to take the Virginia Breeze.

HRT and NPBL Intern Visit

Andrew Ennis and Linda Balderson led a group of our summer interns on a visit to HRT’s bus maintenance facility, the Tide’s light rail operations center, Norfolk Portsmouth Belt Line’s (NPBL) headquarters, and a transload site.

ACT Conference

Chris Arabia participated in a panel at the Association for Commuter Transportation (ACT) Conference in Philadelphia, where he discussed ensuring seamless commuter connections through data sharing and app development. Unless the whole thing was an ACT! *duh duh duh*

PRTC 40th Anniversary Celebration

The Potomac Rappahannock Transportation Commission (PRTC) recently celebrated their 40th birthday with a party and new bus wrap. Sarah Husain and Jacarl Melton had the pleasure of attending on behalf of DRPT.

CTAV Conference

DRPT brought our a-game to the Community Transportation Association of Virginia (CTAV) Conference, with lots of staff members, two tabling set-ups and a whole roundtable.

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