HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — One of the busiest passenger train stations in the Southeast, per Amtrak, has been brought into the 21st Century.
The Staples Mill Amtrak station renovation project included upgrades for additional seating and style updates in the lobby, and refinishing walls and floors throughout the station and restrooms, bringing the station’s decades-long 1970s style up to date.
While many community members lamented the loss of the pocket of nostalgia hidden away in Henrico, even more expressed excitement for the “long overdue and very appreciated” renovations on an announcement from Amtrak in August.
According to an Amtrak spokesperson, the following trains provide daily service to Staples Mill station:
- Carolinian: New York to Charlotte
- Palmetto: New York to Savannah
- Silver Meteor: New York to Miami
- Silver Star: New York to Miami
- Amtrak Virginia trains for service to DC and other cities in the Northeast
This isn’t the first recent upgrade project at the station. Thanks to the help of a $8.5 million investment from the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, Staples Mill saw its parking lot capacity double in 2018, in addition to new ADA spaces and a dedicated bus loading zone.
The Staples Mill location is one of two Amtrak locations in the Richmond area, the other being the city’s iconic Main Street station, which completed a renovation project of its own — to the tune of $95 million — in 2018.
Ridership for the Staples Mill Station, located at 7519 Staples Mill Road, for Fiscal Year 2022 was 303,204.
The station opened its doors in November 1975.
