SUFFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — There are multiple locations in downtown Suffolk where an Amtrak station could feasibly fit, a new study has found.
As part of a preliminary feasibility analysis completed by the Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization (HRTPO), it was determined there are three different locations where a siding and modern platform could be placed to accommodate passenger rail service.
The sites include the space along Railroad Avenue between Wellons and Willson Streets, the space between E Washington Street and South Main Street and the former CSX Industrial Lead track at 449 E Washington Street.
Before the city would even begin to select a preferred site, several other studies must be completed to explore the realities of trains once again stopping in “The Peanut Capital of the World.”
City Manager Al Moor said the presentation leaves him hopeful that the city is “on-track” for success.
“I think if we continue on the trail and keep working at it, we’ll get there,” Moor said Friday afternoon.
For 35 years, Amtrak was absent from Suffolk altogether. The last passenger train departed the former Norfolk and Western depot between Liberty Street and East Washington Street in 1977.
However in 2012, Amtrak returned service to Norfolk and now six Amtrak trains zip through downtown Suffolk daily: three headed to New York, three headed to Norfolk.
Train travel continues to experience a renaissance, with Norfolk continuing to find itself as one of the busiest stations in the southeast.
In recent years, those living in Western Tidewater have been pushing local leaders to see if they too can climb aboard.
In the 2025-2026 budget, $485,000 was set aside to begin completing required studies according to Moor. The first will be a ridership study.
“So what we’ll take there is, our consultant will look at where we’re going to gather our riders from,” Moore said. “Are we going to impact any other station nearby? And I really don’t think we will. I think what we’re going to find is we’re going to add trips to Amtrak.”
He and Deputy City Manager Kevin Hughes, had just returned from a lunch earlier in Richmond, focusing on high speed rail.
“It will require some studies and some hard work and working for some funding to get things rolling,” Moore said. “I found out today that train stations, 39% of the train stations that Amtrak serves are owned by the municipalities. So it was sort of just data data gathering today that helped also.”