Norfolk, Va.-based Hampton Roads Transit celebrated a major milestone this week by reaching the one million rides mark on its 7.4-mile light rail system The Tide.

Much higher than predicted average daily ridership helped propel The Tide to this benchmark sooner than expected. Initial projections for the first year put ridership at about 2,900 average daily boardings. Today, The Tide records about 4,900 average daily boardings, allowing the one million threshold to be reached 150 days earlier than expected.

“What a thrilling accomplishment, “ said President/CEO William Harrell.  “This threshold in less than a year of operation shows the strong support that light rail has in the region. I’m proud of the work our staff has done to help The Tide reach this important milestone. I also extend a warm thank you to our loyal customers for their patronage.”

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