Richmond-Main Street, VA (Amtrak's Northeast Regional)

Richmond-Main Street Station is a historic railroad station in Downtown Richmond Virginia in the Renaissance Revival style. The station opened in 1901, before seeing its final Amtrak train — the Newport News ↔ Chicago James Whitcomb Rile — in 1975. The station reopened for Amtrak service on December 18, 2003. This restored train service to the city of Richmond itself as a stop on the then two daily Northeast Regional trains between New York, Washington, DC and point north to and from Newport News, VA. The main historical station used by all other trains in Richmond (running north-south) was Broad Street station that is today the Science Museum of Virginia.

Until sometime between 2016 and 2020 (finding historical timetables after 2016 is harder) after the station's opening, Fridays saw a third Newport News-bound train. This trainset returned to Richmond Staple Mills Road to layover overnight in revenue service until sometime between the Fall 2008 timetable and the Spring 2010 timetable (the national timetables that have been archived in 2009 are missing the Northeast Corridor because so much track work was going on they weren't printed), before becoming just a deadhead train move, but this unique train always skipped Richmond-Main Street.

On September 27, 2021, a third daily round-trip to and from Washington, DC and points north was added, this train arrives at Richmond-Main Street in the evenings before overnighting and returning to Washington, DC and New York the following morning. Virginia wants to restore tracks south of the station to connect them to Petersburg to allow all trains to stop in Richmond but this is a very expensive project.

Trains can stop at one of two low-level platforms (I believe through trains to and from Newport News can only stop on the eastern side) on each side of the station's historic trainshed, the platforms are at the same level and you could argue are just a giantly wide island platform with a building in the middle.

The platforms have modern glass on their edges walls into this historic trainshed with black beams that is now primarily used as an event space. The trainshed still provides a decent amount of overhang but not quite reaching the edge of the platform to allow double-stacked trains to use the tracks through the station. Modern Amtrak format signs that say Richmond Main St (no , VA) hang from the trainshed with black beams (not the normal silver) to blend in.

At the southern end of this trainshed is the historic brick headhouse building with a clearly visible clocktower (even from trains). Here is the historic waiting room (also rentable for your next big event) with steps and an elevator leading down to street level. The main entrance is down an exterior flight of steps down to Main Street with a stop for the Greater Richmond Transit Pulse (BRT) Line on the same block.
Photos 1-10: August 22, 2024 as I stepped off the Northeast Regional

Stepping off a Northeast Regional and looking down the platform outside the historic trainshed (with its glass walls) at a crowd of passengers boarding at the other open door

A bicyclists re-assembles his bike on the platform as passengers board the evening Northbound Northeast Regional

Looking past black pillars of the historic trainshed at the modern glass walls that allow it to be used as an event space

A crowd boards a stopped Northeast Regional under the edge of the historic trainshed

A modern Richmond Main Street sign hanging from the historic trainshed

Looking down the platform under the historic trainshed as I step off the Northeast Regional

A traffic cone marks a slight grade change on the platform

Inside the historic train shed mainly used as an event space

A staircase to leave the station through the trainshed with a seamless connection to the historic waiting room that feels tiny at one end of the trainshed in the historic building

An interior view of the impressive trainshed just beyond the station platforms