Mariia Zimmerman, Founder and Principal of MZ Strategies, LLC has been re-appointed by Governor Northam to serve as a voting member of the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority (VPRA). Zimmerman was selected to represent the Richmond region based on her years of experience in passenger transportation and community development. She was first appointed in 2020, at the creation of the new statewide transportation authority, and will serve through June 30, 2025.

The VPRA was created by the Virginia legislature in 2019 to assume all administrative and fiduciary responsibilities for Virginia’s state supported passenger rail services, including the current six daily roundtrip Amtrak Northeast Regional services originating in Roanoke, Norfolk, Newport News, and Richmond. The VPRA will also provide funding to Virginia Railway Express (VRE), which will continue to operate commuter rail service in northern Virginia.

Moving forward, the VPRA will also administer all capital expansion projects, infrastructure, and land acquisitions related to Governor Northam’s $3.7 billion Transforming Rail in Virginia initiative, which will double Amtrak and VRE service in Virginia over the next decade. More information on VPRA, including past meeting agendas and upcoming meeting schedules can be found at http://vpra.virginia.gov/. The non-profit organization, Virginians for High Speed Rail provides numerous opportunities to learn about, engage and advocate for improved rail.

Zimmerman issued the following statement on her re-appointment:

“I am thrilled to be re-appointed to the VPRA at this historic time for the Commonwealth. It is a privilege to represent the Richmond region. The Transforming Rail in Virginia initiative will invest almost $4 billion to improve rail connections across Virginia, brining improved rail and in several cases new rail service to hundreds of communities. This investment to create new mobility options is critically important for Virginians of all ages and income levels. College students will have easier access to Blacksburg, Charlottesville, and Norfolk. Hourly service will connect Richmond to Washington, D.C. and points north with more reliable, and climate friendly options than suffering in traffic on I-95.”

“What I am most excited about though, is ways that VPRA together with other state agencies, can partner with local communities to ensure that this historic rail investment is matched by local commitments to improve transit, walking and bicycle connections to stations. Passenger rail service has the opportunity to catalyze development around stations creating economic and housing opportunities for those communities that leverage this moment.

VPRA’s investment alone cannot achieve significant climate benefits and ridership gains without local partners who take the necessary land use and transportation changes. The opportunities in the Richmond region include re-imagining the Staples Mill station as a multi-modal, transit-oriented development hub in Henrico County. Even more transformative are improvements to Richmond’s beautiful downtown Main Street station including the preservation and acknowledgement of the surrounding burial grounds of enslaved people including to create a memorial park and implementation of the community-driven Shockoe Bottom plan.” ~ Mariia Zimmerman