The Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) is actively pursuing intercity rail passenger services between Richmond and Hampton Roads. In 1995 the United States Secretary of Transportation, at the request of the Commonwealth of Virginia, expanded the federally designated SEHSR (Southeast High Speed Rail) Corridor to include a link from Richmond to Hampton Roads. The designation does not specify which rail route will be utilized between Richmond and Hampton Roads. 

Two previous studies of rail service to Hampton Roads have been conducted.  In 1999 the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) completed the I-64 Major Investment Study, which included recommendations for enhanced intercity rail service on the Peninsula.  In 2002, DRPT completed a study of the feasibility of high-speed rail between Richmond and South Hampton Roads via Petersburg and the U.S. Route 460 Corridor. The Richmond/Hampton Roads Passenger Rail Project will build on these previous studies to facilitate further examination of the feasibility and desirability of higher speed rail access between Richmond and the Hampton Roads region with linkages to other cities and states to the north and south. An Alternatives Analysis and Environmental Impact Statement will be the mechanism used to analyze the alternatives and satisfy the federal National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requirements.