Frequently Asked Questions

Welcome to our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) page. Here, you’ll find answers to some of the most common questions about the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT), our programs, and the services we support across the Commonwealth. Whether you’re a transit rider, partner, stakeholder, or simply looking to learn more, this page is designed to provide clear, helpful information to guide you.

If your question is not addressed below, we encourage you to reach out for additional assistance. You can contact our media representative or email us directly at drptpr@drpt.virginia.gov, and a member of our team will be happy to help connect you with the information you need.

For those interested in exploring more detailed data and resources, DRPT’s Open Data Portal is a great place to start. The portal serves as a centralized hub for key information, including financial reports, transit ridership trends, performance metrics, geospatial data, and updates on public transportation and rail projects across Virginia. These resources are intended to promote transparency, support research, and provide a deeper understanding of DRPT’s work and impact statewide.

DRPT’s executive team is led by the agency’s Director. The Director reports to the Secretary of Transportation. The Secretary is responsible for developing and implementing Virginia’s transportation program, which includes policy and financial oversight for seven agencies.

The Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) is a 17-member panel appointed by the Governor that meets monthly. DRPT’s Director is an ex-officio member of the board. The CTB approves the state transportation budget each year. The budget allocates funding for transit agencies and rail projects.

DRPT’s partners include 40 transit systems, 79 human service operators, 17 transportation demand management agencies, 15 metropolitan planning organizations, nine short line railroads, two Class I freight railroads, an intercity passenger rail operator, a DRPT-supported intercity bus operator, and the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority.

DRPT’s mission is to connect and improve the quality of life for all Virginians with innovative transportation solutions. The agency works with rail and public transportation stakeholders to provide service to people throughout Virginia and promotes transportation options to the general public, businesses, and community decision makers. DRPT manages programs and initiatives that support freight investments, administer public transportation funding and planning, and manage investments in local and regional commuter assistance programs.

DRPT publishes an annual report each year about what is happening at the agency. Those can be viewed on its  Studies and Reports page.

Unlike many Virginia state agencies, DRPT is not supported by general funds. The primary state tax transportation revenue sources are: the motor fuel tax, motor vehicles sale and use tax, motor license fees, motor vehicle rental tax, and recordation taxes. DRPT also receives formula funds from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and frequently applies for discretionary funding from the FTA and the Federal Railroad Administration.

DRPT’s Open Data Portal includes information about public transportation and rail projects that have received state funding.

The program, referred to as the SYIP, is the method for allocating funds for rail, public transportation, and highway projects. The CTB reviews the SYIP each year. Working with localities, it prioritizes funds for public transportation facilities, commuter and public transportation programs, rail initiatives, and all interstate and primary highway projects throughout Virginia over six fiscal years. DRPT publishes the SYIP on its Open Data Portal.

The 2020 General Assembly created VPRA to promote, sustain, and expand the availability of passenger and commuter rail service as well as to increase ridership by connecting population centers in Virginia with service and increase the availability of such service. VPRA’s authorities include assigning outside parties the rights to design and build infrastructure and administering funding; however, it does not operate passenger rail services. DRPT is responsible for statewide planning for passenger rail services. Essentially, DRPT determines where Virginia will build passenger rail services, and VPRA will deliver on building and maintaining those services.

The DRPT Director serves as the Chair of the VPRA Board of Directors.

The CAP Operating Assistance grant program funds the operation of regional and local commuter assistance programs that serve the public by directly engaging the public to encourage the use of transit, carpools, and vanpools, and by sharing multimodal ride matching services and travel mode options information. Programs funded under the CAP Operating grant program must achieve a measurable increase in the use of ride matching services and an increase in the use of transit, carpools, vanpools, and/or bicycle commuting. 

The CAP Project Assistance grant program bolsters transportation demand management projects, such as employer trip reduction, vanpool assistance, transit marketing, and other types of projects that achieve a measurable increase in the public’s use of carpools, vanpools, transit, and/or bicycle for commuting to work.

DRPT’s Freight Rail Enhancement to Increase Goods and Highway Throughput (FREIGHT) program is designed to support rail infrastructure investments that expand the Virginia freight rail network. DRPT supports projects that improve, expand, or develop railways, railroad equipment, rolling stock, rights of way, rail facilities, and engineering and design.

The Rail Preservation Fund (RPF) is a grant program for shortline (class-III) railroads in Virginia, supporting projects that maintain a state of good repair on Virginia’s shortline rail network. DRPT receives $4 million annually for RPF from VDOT’s Highway Construction Fund, as prescribed in the biennial budget. This can be supplemented by CRF funds at DRPT’s discretion, as described above. 

The Rail Industrial Access (RIA) program is DRPT’s economic development incentive program that provides funding to design and construct or rehabilitate rail spurs that connect new or growing businesses to Virginia’s rail network. RIA grants are promoted by the Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) as one of the infrastructure assistance incentives offered to attract companies that will generate new jobs and bring capital investment. VEDP coordinates with DRPT to refer projects for application.

DRPT’s Open Data Portal has a geospatial page where users can identify railroad tracks in Virginia and who owns them.

The Federal Railroad Administration maintains a highway-rail grade crossing database and map that can be viewed on its website.

In Virginia, freight rail accidents are investigated by the State Corporation Commission (SCC). The SCC can be reached at sccinfo@scc.virginia.gov.

DRPT’s Open Data Portal houses transit ridership data for transit agencies in Virginia. DRPT updates the data each quarter.

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA or Metro) is the multi-jurisdictional transit authority that operates Metrorail, Metrobus, and MetroAccess services in Northern Virginia, Washington DC, and parts of Maryland. In terms of scale of operations and annual ridership levels, WMATA is the largest provider of public transportation in Virginia. DRPT is the agency charged with providing and overseeing Virginia’s share of funds to WMATA. 

The Transit Ridership Incentive Program (TRIP) is a statewide grants program funding transit agencies and governing bodies to create more accessible, safe, and regionally significant transit networks. As established in the 33.2-1526.3 Code of Virginia, TRIP has four project categories: Zero and Reduced Fare, Regional Connectivity, Public Safety, and Passenger Amenities.

The Making Efficient and Responsible Investments in Transit (MERIT) program is a statewide grant program that enables transit agencies to fund capital investments, operating expenses, workforce development, technical assistance, and demonstration activities. 

The MERIT program protects the daily operation of transit services by providing funding to support the people who keep vehicles and riders on the road, the vehicles that get riders where they want to go, and the infrastructure that keeps the transit system safe and serviceable. Beyond supporting investments in labor, back-end operations, vehicles, and facilities, the program also enables transit agencies to keep one eye on existing services and another on expansion, growth, and innovation. 

The Virginia Railway Express (VRE) is the commuter rail service that offers weekday rush-hour service to and from Washington DC and points along the I-66 and I-95 corridors. VRE’s two commuter rail lines (the Fredericksburg Line and the Manassas Line) serve Virginia’s most populated region and divert cars and commuters from Virginia’s busiest roads and highways during the most congested times of the day. 

DRPT created the Virginia Transportation Navigator to provide complete information about transportation services in Virginia. The Transportation Navigator is Virginia’s most thorough directory of public transit, human service, and specialized transportation providers, programs, and services. People can use the Navigator on DRPT’s homepage.