Newport News station

Newport News station is an Amtrak intercity train station in Newport News, Virginia. The station is the southern terminus of two daily Northeast Regional round trips. It has a single side platform adjacent to a large CSX rail yard.

Newport News, VA
Newport News station building in June 2007
Location9304 Warwick Boulevard
Newport News, Virginia
Coordinates37.0228°N 76.4519°W / 37.0228; -76.4519
Line(s)CSX Peninsula Subdivision
Platforms1 side platform
Tracks1
Connections Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach
Hampton Roads Transit 106, 107
Construction
Disabled accessYes
Other information
Station codeNPN
History
OpenedOctober 1981 (current station)
Passengers
FY2017106,692 annually[1]
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Terminus Northeast Regional Williamsburg
toward Boston South or Springfield

History

Chesapeake & Ohio
Early postcard of the 1892-built station

The Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad (C&O) under Collis Potter Huntington completed the Peninsula Extension to the small town of Newport News in 1881. This allowed the C&O to transport West Virginia coal to Hampton Roads - the largest warm-water port on the East Coast - and directly compete with the Norfolk and Western Railway. Between the coal exports and Huntington's Newport News Shipbuilding Company, Newport News soon became a major shipping and industrial area.[2]

Ferry service between Norfolk and Newport News began in 1883, though the first passenger train station at Newport News was not built until 1892.[3] The multi-story brick structure, Victorian with a large clock tower,[4] was built on the waterfront at 23rd Street. A train shed stretched onto a pier so that passengers could transfer directly between trains and ferries.[2]

By the 1930s, the station was in poor shape, having settled significantly due to the soft soil. It was demolished in 1940 and replaced with a smaller two-story brick station.[3] The new station was constructed on a concrete base 1 foot (0.30 m) above the 1933 Chesapeake–Potomac hurricane flood level, and its pilings were driven 90 feet (27 m) underground to prevent settling.[3]

Between 1953 and 1954, the C&O stopped using Phoebus, Virginia to the east as the terminus of its Norfolk/Hampton Roads area passenger trains. The company shifted that terminus, by then being for the George Washington and other passenger trains, to Newport News station.[5][6]

When Amtrak took over intercity passenger service in the United States on May 1, 1971, the C&O had served Newport News with three daily round trips: the Newport News sections of the George Washington and Fast Flying Virginian/Sportsman, plus a Newport News-Richmond trip.[7]

Amtrak
The 1940-built station in 1978

Amtrak kept only one daily round trip to Newport News - a section of the Newport News-Cincinnati George Washington. It was combined with the James Whitcomb Riley on July 12, 1971 to provide through service to Chicago.[8]:38 The George Washington name was used for the eastbound section until May 19, 1974.[8]:41 On June 14, 1976, the Newport News section of the Riley was replaced with the Washington-Newport News Colonial.[2]

Ferry service had been replaced by buses through the Hampton Roads Bridge–Tunnel upon its 1957 opening, making the waterfront location less desirable for a train station. The station was moved to its current location along the CSX line in October 1981. The 1940-built station remains standing and now serves as a restaurant.[3]

Future
Future Amtrak Station under construction near the airport

The current facility is planned to be replaced with two new stations—a large intermodal station near the Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport and a smaller station in downtown Newport News.[9] The city plans to begin design work for the larger station in the summer of 2011, for an opening sometime before 2016.[9] As of 2011, the cost is estimated at $24 million.[9] As of 2019, the project was reported to be further delayed, until 2021.[10]

Construction for the new station near the airport began in July 2020. The project will cost $47 million and is expected to be completed by the summer of 2022.[11][12]

References
  1. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, FY2017, Commonwealth of Virginia" (PDF). Amtrak Government Affairs. November 2017.
  2. "Newport News, VA (NPN)". Great American Stations. Amtrak.
  3. "History". The Train Station Restaurant.
  4. "[Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad Station at Newport News, Virginia, with clock tower]". Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. Retrieved 2020-08-12.
  5. "Chesapeake and Ohio Railway, Condensed Through Schedules". Official Guide of the Railways. National Railway Publication Company. 86 (7). December 1953.
  6. "Chesapeake and Ohio Railway, Condensed Through Schedules". Official Guide of the Railways. National Railway Publication Company. 87 (7). December 1954.
  7. The C&O/B&O Railroads Passenger Timetable effective June 10, 1967. Chesapeake and Ohio Railway. June 10, 1967 – via Wikimedia Commons.
  8. Sanders, Craig (2006). Amtrak in the Heartland. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-34705-3.
  9. "New train stations could be coming to Newport News". Newport News Daily Press. 15 January 2011. Retrieved 22 January 2011.
  10. Reyes, Josh. "Newport News transportation project delayed again, completion goal set for 2021". dailypress.com. Retrieved 2020-08-12.
  11. "Newport News breaks ground on new transportation center". www.masstransitmag.com. July 23, 2020.
  12. Reyes, Josh (July 22, 2020). "Long-awaited transportation hub, Amtrak station in Newport News slated to open in two years". dailypress.com.
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