The Tide connects downtown Norfolk to Fort Norfolk on the west and to the boundary with Virginia Beach on the east
Source: Hampton Roads Transit, The Tide
The Tide connects downtown Norfolk to Fort Norfolk on the west and to the boundary with Virginia Beach on the east
Source: Hampton Roads Transit, The Tide
"The Tide" in Norfolk was the first light rail transit system in Virginia, after streetcar services ended. Planning for what became The Tide started in 1986. The Final Environmental Impact Statement completed in 2000 contemplated building 18 miles of track from the Elizabeth River to the Virginia Beach resort area along the Atlantic Ocean.
The system that opened in 2011 was 7.4 miles in length, linking the Eastern Virginia Medical Center (EVMC) complex through downtown to Newtown Road on the eastern edge of Norfolk. Over half of the completed track (4.4 miles) was built as an at-grade, semi-exclusive guideway along the former Norfolk Southern Railroad right-of-way. The seven-acre Norfolk Tide Facility was built next to Norfolk State University.
the rail yard for The Tide was located between Norfolk State University and I-264, not at one of the endpoints
Source: ESRI, ArcGIS Online
Each of the 11 stations was constructed with a covered platform shelter and ramp access compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. On an average work day before COVID-19, 4,500 passengers used The Tide.1
all 11 stations of The Tide have coverted platforms and meet Americans with Disabilities Act standards
Source: Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), Grand Opening of The Tide light rail system in Norfolk, Virginia
Plans to extend it to Virginia Beach, to Town Center and perhaps the resort area on the Oceanfront, were fundamental to efforts to implement "smart growth" principles and steer new development in Virginia Beach to areas near light rail transit stations.
Virginia Beach's voters refused to support the project in 1999. The proposal was revived, but in another local referendum in 2016 voters again rejected the expansion of light rail east of Norfolk.
Virginia Beach had spent $40 million to purchase the old Norfolk and Virginia Beach Railroad right-of-way from the Norfolk Southern, which stopped freight service on that track in 2002. The state had contributed half the cost to support expansion of The Tide. The city had to repay that $20 million to the state in 2017, so it ended up buying an expensive right-of-way for perhaps just a bike/pedestrian trail east of the Newtown statin of The Tide.2
since opening day in 2011, Newtown Station has been the eastern end of The Tide
Source: Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), Grand Opening of The Tide light rail system in Norfolk, Virginia
Current Tide expansion plans are all within the boundaries of Norfolk. Transit planners view Naval Station Norfolk as the next endpoint destination, now that Virginia Beach's Town Center is no longer possible.
Hampton Roads Transit considered building a connection from downtown through Old Dominion University to the base. After determining that no route on the wet side of town would be cost-effective enough to qualify for Federal Transportation Administration grants, it shifted focus to a possible extension up Military Avenue.3
There was one last gasp of effort from Virginia Beach to build The Tide. The city's 2018 bid to attract Amazon's second headquarters cited the potential to provide light rail to the proffered site at Town Center. Presumably, city officials anticipated a shift in public opinion and endorsement of extending The Tide if that was required to attract HQ2 of Amazon, but the company chose Alexandria instead.4
In 2022, Hampton Roads Transit announced aproposal to build north from the eastern terminus at Newtown Station to Sentara Leigh Hospital campus and Military Circle. That would add 2.2 miles of track to the existing 7.4 mile system. Norfolk officials had prioritized dedevelopment at Military Circle, anticipating that sea level rise would require creating a new town center away from the waterfront.
The transit agency predicted that Federal and state funding would cover 90% of the $300 million cost to construct the extension. Hampton Roads Transit anticipated a future extention to Naval Station Norfolk, but did not propose that project in 2022 because ridership would be too low to justify Federal/state grants. Instead, it recommended starting a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line linking the Greenbrier area in the City of Chesapeake to Naval Station Norfolk.
The Tide planned to grow north to Military Circle and Naval Station Norfolk, after being blocked from extending eastward into Virginia Beach
Source: Hampton Roads Transit, The Tide 10th Anniversary
A Tide official stated:5
The Tide follows a fixed route, while bus transit can be redirected to reflect changing patterns of customer demand
Source: City of Norfolk, Photo Album - Public Transportation
The Tide in downtown Norfolk
Source: Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), Grand Opening of The Tide light rail system in Norfolk, Virginia
opening day at MacArthur Square Station on August 19, 2011
Source: Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), Grand Opening of The Tide light rail system in Norfolk, Virginia