Staples Mill Amtrak station receives $5.8M in federal matching funding to enhance and expand rail service

By Seraina Caviezel, Special to the Citizen

The Richmond Staples Mill Amtrak Station will receive $5.8 million in federal funding as part of an initiative to make passenger and freight rail more frequent and safer across Virginia. 

The funding will upgrade the station by improving two platforms, adding a canopy to one platform, increasing daily train service, and promoting accessibility.

“The $5.8 million that's coming from the federal government, matched with the $5.8 million that we're bringing, will allow us to improve the experience of the station and make sure that we are taking care of this important asset,” said Virginia Passenger Rail Authority Executive Director DJ Stadtler. 

The VPRA owns the platform, and Amtrak owns the station building. 

The money came as part of $13.3 million in overall funding to expand and secure rail service in Virginia from the U.S. Department of Transportation in late October.

Buckingham Branch Railroad Company will receive $6 million, and the town of Bedford will receive $1.48 million. 

“These investments will build on our work expanding funding for Amtrak and addressing rail bottlenecks across the country, creating a future where passenger rail is more affordable, reliable, and accessible for all Virginians,” U.S. Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, both Democrats from Virginia, said in a joint statement.

The Staples Mill station in Henrico was the busiest train station in the Southeast in 2023, with more than 424,000 riders, according to Amtrak data.

“We've got to make sure that it's safe, that it's reliable, and make sure that it gives people the destination where they want to go,” Stadtler said.

Almost every pad of concrete is cracked on both platforms making it difficult and unsafe to navigate for passengers with strollers, wheelchairs or luggage, Stadler said. 

The canopies also leak, he added. 

“The last time I was here, the wheel on my bag kept getting stuck in the cracks, and it made it harder to roll and slowed me down,” passenger Aida Berhe told the Citizen. “Honestly, I kind of just thought that was normal.”

Passenger Karen Schmidt echoed her complaint. 

“It’s a little bit bumpy rolling your bag,” Schmidt said. “Today we are checking our luggage so we won’t have to deal with any of that.”

The funding will promote accessibility, bringing the station in line with ADA requirements creating a safer and improved passenger experience.

“The Americans with Disabilities Act was passed in 1990; it's embarrassing that that station is not yet in compliance,” Stadtler said.

There also are places where the platform has settled and is not the required eight inches above the rail, making it inaccessible for passengers with scooters and wheelchairs. 

By summer 2025, design and environmental work for the Staples Mill platform will be complete, with construction set to begin in early 2026. The station project is scheduled to be complete in 2027. 

The funding will support an addition of 10 Amtrak trains per day, significantly expanding travel options for Metro Richmond residents and passengers passing through Virginia. 

“I am a big supporter of encouraging public transportation, less driving and more trains,” said passenger Tsion Maru. “I think putting more money towards that instead of expanding highways is a better use of public funding.”

The station currently handles 12 trains daily, connecting passengers to destinations as far north as Boston and as far south as Miami.

“When we started this project, Virginia said we want to add more trains,” Stadler said. “Right now if you're on 81, 95 or 64, you get traffic pretty much 24 hours a day, and the last train that brings you back south leaves [D.C.] shortly after 7 p.m.”

Two trains will be added following the end of the first phase of the project – one to Newport News and back, and the other ending in Richmond and starting in D.C., Stadtler said. Both will connect with Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor service. 

By 2030, there will be more trains that are scheduled to end in Richmond, including hourly service between Richmond and D.C., Stadtler said. 

“There could definitely be more trains. I feel like sometimes the jumps between times are really long from the first train to the second one,” Berhe said. “It’s like a six-hour jump, it’s not convenient.”

The Long Bridge (which spans the Potomac River in Washington, D.C.) connects all of the Northeast traffic with the South, Stadtler said. A $2.3 billion project is currently underway to add two new tracks to the Long Bridge. 

“When we cut the ribbon on that, then we can actually add more trains,” Stadtler said. 

The project is expected to be completed by 2030.

Elsewhere, the Buckingham Branch Railroad Company funding will replace old rail tracks and ties throughout Central Virginia, enhancing freight service safety and efficiency, according to the press release. 

The town of Bedford will develop plans for a new intercity passenger rail station, potentially reconnecting Bedford to passenger rail for the first time in decades. 

“We are thrilled, the Investment Act has really done what it is intended to do by giving states and communities the access to funds to address long overdue infrastructure and Staples Mill is a great example of that,” Stadtler said.