ROANOKE, Va. – More people are riding the rails this year, according to the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority.
The Roanoke Amtrak trains saw an almost 40% increase in passengers in April in comparison to the year before.
Staff said that since the pandemic, more people have chosen to ride.
Plus, Virginians are traveling more on the weekends instead of weekdays.
Virginia Passenger Rail Authority spokesperson Karina Romero said that signals people in the Commonwealth are traveling for leisure.
“We added a new round-trip between Washington D.C. and Roanoke last July,” Romero said. “That’s definitely contributed to the increase in ridership down in Roanoke. We knew that people were interested in a second round trip and they definitely turned out and supported that effort, and so we’re thrilled.”