On December 17, Norfolk’s Tide Light Rail celebrated its 500,000th rider. That’s over 40% more than originally projected since opening earlier this year. And people are noticing.
Virginia Beach Mayor Will Sessoms (R) has been leading a charge to extend the current 7.4-mile line on a route through his city from the Norfolk city line to the oceanfront. Already the city invested $40-million to purchase a former railroad right-of-way which could accommodate the 12-mile route. Perhaps the mayor heard about a recent polling by Christopher Newport University that indicates up to 80% of his residents support the extension. These numbers represent a sea-change in public opinion from 1999 when the issue was soundly rejected by Virginia Beach voters in a referendum.
In 2000, the City of Norfolk moved forward alone with light rail – building a line from the Virginia Beach border through Norfolk State University and downtown to the Eastern Virginia Medical Center. After enduring media skewering over construction delays, the Tide finally rolled on August 19, 2011. And the public has voted “Yes!” ever since – by hopping on-board.
Norfolk’s go-it-alone pursuit of light rail is proving to be visionary as several extensions are being considered in addition to the line through Virginia Beach. These include an extension to Old Dominion University and Norfolk Naval Base, the region’s largest employment center. Portsmouth and Chesapeake officials are considering opportunities to extend the Tide into their cities.
Riders on the Tide enjoy features like on-board Wi-Fi and online ticket sales. Those riders are also enjoying a break from the region’s traffic congestion, where an accident in one of the harbor tunnels can bring the entire roadway system to a halt.
Despite critics saying “it didn’t go anywhere people wanted to go” and “Virginians only like cars”. Virginians – certainly those in Norfolk – are falling in love with light rail. And politicians across the region are taking notice!
For more information about Tide, visit the main website for Hampton Roads Transit at goHRT.com.