Transit System Redesign

What is the Transit System Redesign? 

Multimodal Norfolk will include a full redesign of the City’s public transportation system that will evaluate and recommend important policy related to transit funding and stop spacing. The City will examine innovative options to deliver transit service, including micro-transit and other on-demand solutions that will best serve the needs of the City.

Revised Recommended Network

Thank you to the 1,000+ people who responded to our surveys over the winter about the Draft Recommended Network. While most people preferred the Draft Recommended Network presented in December 2020, many had concerns about the changes and asked for adjustments. We’ve responded with a revised recommended transit network.

The revised new network would have major benefits for most people in Norfolk:

  • The average resident could reach 7,400 additional jobs by walking and transit in 45 minutes. That’s a 23% increase over the Existing Network.
  • The average minority resident could reach 8,600 additional jobs in 45 minutes, a 27% increase over the Existing Network.
  • The average resident in poverty could reach 10,700 more jobs in 45 minutes, a 34% increase over the Existing Network.
  • For employers and retailers, the number of residents that could reach the average job location would increase by 9,200, a 24% increase over the Existing Network.
  • 118,000 more residents would be within ¼ mile of a bus or train that arrives every 15 minutes for most of the day, 48% more than today.
  • 38,000 more jobs would be within ¼ mile of a bus or train that arrives every 15 minutes for most of the day, 18% more than today.

Since this network reallocates service across the city, these benefits do come with some reductions in service in some parts of the city. Overall, about 6,600 residents would be more than ¼ mile from any transit service, about 3% of city residents. In the Existing Network, about 1% of residents are more than ¼ mile from any transit service.

Revised Recommended Network

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This is a map of the Draft Recommended Network for Norfolk.

Compared to the Existing Network, there are far more frequent routes covering many more neighborhoods and key destinations

People are more likely to use frequent service (red lines) because a bus or train is usually coming soon. These lines typically offer better night and weekend service, which makes it easier for people to use the bus for all sorts of activities.

This network includes more frequent service along major corridors like Granby Street, Chesapeake Boulevard, Hampton Boulevard, and Campostella Road.

For more detail, you can download a larger map or download a detailed area map of your part of Norfolk here:

Downtown

A key way that the Draft Recommended Network improves access is by making it easier for transit riders to reach downtown, including places like MacArthur Center, Tidewater Community College, and cultural destinations. The maps below compare the Existing Downtown Network and the Revised Recommended Transit Network. In the Existing Network, few bus routes come into the core of downtown, leaving many transit riders a long walk from major destinations.  The Revised Recommended Network brings more routes through downtown so that transit riders have easier access to all the jobs, shopping, and opportunities available within downtown Norfolk. 

The new network also through-routes buses, so that more riders can make trips across the city without having to transfer. For example, someone coming from Norview on the new Route 2 could ride directly through downtown to reach Old Dominion University on Hampton Boulevard. Similarly, someone coming from Campostella and wanting to go to Wards Corner, could ride through downtown without transferring.

Existing Network

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This is a map of the existing Norfolk transit network.

The color of each line tells you the maximum wait for that bus or train, on a weekday. For example, on a blue line, a bus comes every 30 minutes. On a light blue line, a bus comes only once every 60 minutes.

People are more likely to use frequent service (red lines) because a bus or train is usually coming soon. These lines typically offer better night and weekend service, which makes it easier for people to use the bus for all sorts of activities.

But the only frequent line during midday is The Tide. Most routes come every 30 or 60 minutes during the day on weekdays. Some routes come more frequently during rush hour. For more detail, you can download a larger map or read our Concepts Report (PDF) to learn more about the existing network. 

Have questions or want to provide comments?

Email if you have questions about this new bus network or have comments to share.