Hampton Roads Transit releases light rail survey

By: Gabrielle Souza; PilotOnline.com

9/28/12

Nearly 60 percent of riders on Norfolk’s The Tide light rail want the line extended into Virginia Beach, according to survey results that Hampton Roads Transit released Thursday.

Those riders ranked the Virginia Beach extension as the most needed improvement to The Tide in the survey, which was conducted from April 19 to 21. It found that the Newtown Road station at the Norfolk-Virginia Beach line was the busiest Tide station, with 30 percent of riders boarding there. Of those riders, 61 percent live in Virginia Beach, the survey found.

The survey was completed to satisfy the Federal Transit Administration’s requirements for collecting baseline ridership for The Tide, according to an HRT news release. It also gathered insight into riders’ reasons for using light rail, their demographic profiles and overall satisfaction.