Trains, planes and buses are on a roll in Richmond.
Amtrak continues to do well with its morning service from its Staples Mill Road station to Washington and points north. Virginia and North Carolina have been recognized by U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx as being ahead of the rest of the Southeast in planning for improving rail passenger service, including high-speed rail, of which Richmond would be a major hub.
On the aviation front, Richmond International Airport reported a 5-percent increase in year-to-year traffic in December. More plusses are a new United Airlines direct flight to Denver and to Orlando by Allegiant.
As for bus service, the $61.5 million Richmond Pulse rapid transit plan, linking Rocketts Landing with Willow Lawn, is moving ahead as well.
The 7.6-mile project had been criticized for doing little to serve lower-income neighborhoods, whose residents need public transit to get to jobs throughout the region. But planners for several long-range projects such as the Richmond Transit Network Plan are scheming to link Pulse with more regional transit arteries. Pulse also could free up funds for the Greater Richmond Transit Co. to improve arterial service.