The tide rolls in
After years of controversy and construction, a new form of transportation comes to Norfolk today. Light-rail trains have been making practice runs through town for two months, but The Tide begins start carrying actual passengers today. Passengers can ride anywhere along the 7.4-mile line for free this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Beginning Monday, The Tide will start charging.
EVMS | Fort Norfolk
Platform location
Corner of
Brambleton and Colley
avenues
Bus routes
Five connecting bus routes
Daily passengers
230 (est.)
Park and ride
None
serves
Eastern Virginia
Medical Center,
Norfolk Public
Health Dept.,
Sentara Norfolk
General Hospital,
Children’s Hospital
of The King’s
Daughters,
American Red
Cross, Harbor’s
Edge, Fort
Norfolk, Ghent
York Street | Freemason
Platform location
Corner of York
and Yarmouth
streets
Bus routes
Nearby
Daily passengers
110 (est.)
Park and ride
None
serves
Chrysler Museum,
YMCA, Freemason
Historic District,
the Belmont at
Freemason
Monticello
Platform location
Monticello Avenue
between Charlotte
and Freemason
Bus routes
Nearby
Daily passengers
300 (est.)
Park and ride
None
serves
Scope, Chrysler
Hall, MacArthur
Center, Federal
Courthouse,
Roper Center,
Wells Theater, the
NorVa, Tidewater
Community
College
MacArthur Square
Platform location
City Hall Avenue
between Bank
and Atlantic
Bus routes
Nearby
Daily passengers
520 (est.)
Park and ride
None
serves
MacArthur
Center, MacArthur
Memorial,
Norfolk Main
Library, Marriott
Convention
Center, Nauticus,
Waterside, Town
Point Park, Selden
Arcade, Wells
Theatre
Civic Plaza
Platform location
Norfolk City Hall
plaza
Bus routes
5 connecting bus
routes
Daily passengers
380 (est.)
Park and ride
None
serves
City Hall, City Jail,
school administration,
city courts
Harbor Park
Platform location
Park Avenue at
east end of
Harbor Park
Bus routes
No connecting
bus routes
Daily passengers
380 (est.)
Park and ride
176 spaces
serves
Harbor Park
Norfolk State University
Platform location
Elevated platform
above Brambleton
Avenue
Bus routes
3 connecting bus
routes
Daily passengers
150 (est.)
Park and ride
None
serves
Norfolk State
University
Ballentine | Broad Creek
Platform location
Ballentine Boulevard
at I-264
ramps
Bus routes
1 connecting bus
route
Daily passengers
120 (est.)
Park and ride
105 spaces
serves
Norfolk State,
Middletowne
Arch, Stonebridge
Crossing, Chester
.eld Heights,
Broad Creek
Renaissance
neighborhoods,
Kroc recreation
center (proposed)
Ingleside Road
Platform location
Corner of Ingleside
Road and
Mississippi Ave.
Bus routes
No connecting
bus routes
Daily passengers
110 (est.)
Park and ride
None
serves
Ingleside neighborhood
Military Highway
Platform location
Curlew Drive west
of Military Highway
Bus routes
3 connecting bus
routes
Daily passengers
390 (est.)
Park and ride
232 spaces
serves
Military Circle
shopping areas,
FBI building,
office park
Newtown Road
Platform location
Curlew Drive at
Newtown and
Kempsville roads
Bus routes
3 connecting bus
routes
Daily passengers
230 (est.)
Park and ride
266 spaces
serves
Interstate Corporate
Center,
Sentara Leigh
Hospital, Barry
Robinson Center,
Virginia Beach
tickets
Light rail and bus service share the same fare structure at $1.50 per trip. Day passes and multi-trip passes allow unlimited transfers.
- A day pass is $3.50
- A five-day pass is $16.50
- A seven-day pass is $17
- A monthly pass is $50
There are discounts for youths, seniors and the disabled. Children 38 inches tall or under ride for free.
Tickets can be purchased at vending machines on station platforms, on buses and at select retail outlets. Ticket vending machines present information in English and Spanish.
how it works
Similar to old-time trolleys, light-rail cars run on tracks and are powered by an overhead electrical source.
Because the tracks are not electrified, the cars can operate on city streets without being separated from other traffic.
Heavy-rail trains, or subways, are powered by a so-called “third rail,” a ground-level electrical source that can cause electrocution if touched by people or other vehicles.
Light-rail cars are operated by drivers who push a lever to speed up, slow down or stop. Steering, however, is guided by the rails.
riding the train
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tide bits ...
SERVICE
Light rail will operate from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. weekdays and until midnight on Friday and Saturday. Sunday and holiday hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Trains will run one hour after the end of special events, such as a late Tides baseball game. During peak rush hours – from 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. and from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. – trains
will run every 10 minutes. At other times, they’ll run every 15 minutes, except after 10 p.m., when they’ll run every 30 minutes. Buses that serve light-rail stations will generally run until 11 p.m. as well.
STREET CROSSINGS
Nine crossings along the former Norfolk Southern Corp. right of way on the east end of the line have gates, lights and bells: Ballentine Blvd., Ingleside Road, Huntsman
Drive, Corporate Blvd., Military Highway, West Industrial, East Industrial, Kidd Blvd. and Bristol Ave. There are no crossing gates at intersections in the downtown area; signs and signals alert motorists and pedestrians when a train is approaching.
SECURITY
Vehicles have closed-circuit security cameras. Station platforms have call boxes that connect to the Norfolk 911 call center. Off-duty uniformed police will patrol park-and-rides, stations and trains. Fare inspectors will conduct spot checks for tickets, a system known as "proof-of-payment" that'’s typical of light-rail operations.
Citations will be issued to nonticketed passengers.
OPERATING COSTS
Annual light-rail operating costs for the first five years will be $14 million to $15 million, with fares covering 8 to 10 percent of the costs. Norfolk’s share will be about 45 percent, while federal and state operating assistance will cover the other 45 percent. For the first two years, regional transportation money will reduce the
city share by about half. Feeder buses for light rail will cost about $4.25 million a year, of which the city must pay $2 million to $2.8 million.
trip time
A trip from the Eastern Virginia Medical Center station to the Newtown Road station takes about 25 minutes. Average trip times between stations are just over two
minutes.
HOW MANY RIDERS
HRT estimates 2,900 average weekday trips on The Tide in its first year of operation. The projected ridership for 2030 is 7,130 trips daily. That estimate uses a more conservative model than in years past; local officials expect that number to be reached far sooner.
Q & A
How fast do the trains go?
Speeds reach 55 mph on stretches of the eastern end of the line. Downtown, the trains travel at 10 to 25 mph, with a short distance at 35 mph as they approach Colley Avenue.
How big are the cars?
Each car is 93.6 feet long, 8.7 feet wide, 12.7 feet tall and weighs 96,800 pounds.
How many cars are there?
Nine. Up to six are in use at one time. Two are always in the rail yard for scheduled maintenance and one is available as a backup.
How many passengers can a car carry?
A light-rail vehicle carries 68 seated passengers. The capacity, seated and standing, is 160 to 180.
Can I take a bike on a train?
Yes, each train has four interior bike racks.
Are the trains and stations handicapped accessible?
Yes. The entire light-rail system is handicapped accessible. Stations have ramped entrances. Trains are “low floor” so wheelchairs can roll from the platform onto the train.
There are Braille tablets at station entrances indicating station name and train direction. Audio station announcements are made on board the trains.
How long do trains stop at each station?
Trains dwell at stations for 20 seconds. Trains stop for longer periods at the end-of-the-line stations, anywhere from six minutes to 15 minutes, depending on the time of day.
What is prohibited on the train?
Eating, drinking, music (except with headphones) and animals (other than service animals) are prohibited.
Is there wireless on board?
Not yet. But HRT has plans to install wireless by the end of September.
Interactive by David M. Putney, Illustrations and map by Robert D. Voros, Text by Debbie Messina