Transportation

Transportation moves economic development

Due to its strategic mid-Atlantic location, both global and U.S. markets are readily accessed through a superior multi-modal transportation network, which includes an extensive railway system, two international airports, vast shipping terminals, the East Coast's largest ice-free deep port, and an efficient and well-maintained highway system. Most of Europe and Africa are within six time zones and Virginia Beach offers a world-class telecommunications system for easy and reliable global communication.

​Norfolk International Airport (ORF)

Norfolk International Airport is a modern facility offering over 130 daily nonstop flights to 16 major airports.​ Norfolk International presently ranks in the top 13 percent​ of the country's airports in terms of passengers served annually, with over 3​.9 million passengers and over 77,000 aircraft operations (2019 most recent data).

Major airlines that serve the region:
  • Allegiant
  • American Airlines
  • Breeze Airways
  • Delta​
  • Frontier
  • Southwest
  • United ​



Daily nonstop flights to the following ci​​ties

Atlanta

Chicago-O'Hare

Detroit

New York-Laguardia

Philadelphia

Baltimore

Chicago-Midway

Houston

New York-JFK

Washington - Dulles

Boston

Dallas

Miami

New York-Newark

Washington - Reagan

Charlotte

Denver*

Minneapolis*

​Orlando

San Diego*

Source: 2023 Norfolk International Airport​ ​​​*Seasonal Flights; Access the complete list

Norfolk International Airport houses two air cargo terminals with 88,000 square feet of space which can handle various air freight. It is served by three cargo airlines: FedEx, Mountain Air, and United Parcel Services. (Source: Norfolk Airport, 2023)
Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport

Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport is less than 50 minutes from Virginia Beach.

Major airlines that serve the airport:​

  • American Airlines​
  • Delta

Daily nonstop flights are offered to destinations including Atlanta, Charlotte, and Philadelphia.​

​​More than 135 motor carriers and 50 common carrier terminals serve the Virginia Beach Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). These include Federal Express, UPS, and U.S. Postal Service:

  • UPS offers a one-day ground delivery service extending as far north as Pennsylvania and parts of New Jersey and as far south as South Carolina.
  • FedEx also offers overnight ground shipping north into Pennsylvania and south into South Carolina and as far west as West Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee.​

The region is well-connected to major markets.

Class 1 Railroads

Double stack rail service is offered by two Class 1 rail companies: Norfolk Southern Railway and CSX. Currently, both companies operate approximately 40,500 miles of track in 23 states in the Southeast and Midwest, as well as two Canadian provinces.

Norfolk Southern

Norfolk Southern Railway Company operates approximately 19,500 route miles in 22 states (Source: Norfolk Southern) and the District of Columbia, serves every major container port in the eastern United States and provides efficient connections to other rail carriers. Of particular importance to our region is the Norfolk Southern Heartland Corridor which offers efficient routing between the Port of Virginia and the Midwest. The Heartland Corridor is mostly defined by U.S. 460, which is a highway running east-to-west from Norfolk, Virginia to Frankfort, Kentucky, and is considered a spur of U.S. 60. The Corridor is one of the important freight corridors in the eastern United States, providing access between The Port of Virginia and the Midwest.

CSX

The CSX transportation network encompasses about 20,000 route miles of track in 23 states (Source: CSX), the District of Columbia, and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. CSX is a leading supplier of rail-based freight transportation in North America. CSX also has major rail yards, transfer-terminal service bulk transfer terminals, and intermodal terminals in the Virginia Beach area that also provide access to Chicago and other markets.

Short Line Railroads

Buckingham Branch

The Buckingham Branch has eight interchanges with Class 1 railroads, four each with CSX and Norfolk Southern. Points of origin and destination on the Norfolk Division of Buckingham Branch include Norfolk, Coleman Place, Airport Industrial Park (Virginia Beach), Camden Heights, and Little Creek.

Transportation

Virginia Beach is linked to the national markets by one of the country’s most modern interstate and highway systems. The region is served by the following highways:

  • Interstate Highway 64, the major east/west route, connects the East Coast to the Mississippi River Corridor.
  • One hour from Interstate Highway 85 and 95, major north/south interstate highway corridors, serving the East Coast.
  • Three hours from Interstate Highway 81, another major north/south interstate highway corridor.
  • Interstate 87 (proposed) - Once built the future 213-mile Interstate 87 from to the deepest port on the eastern seaboard, The Port of Virginia, to Raleigh, NC and Research Triangle Park will provide quicker access to major southern cities, as well as open the distribution channels in the mid-Atlantic.

The City is connected to Virginia's Eastern Shore region via the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, which is 23 miles long and it is the longest bridge-tunnel complex in the world. The bridge cuts the driving distance to the northeast corridor by 90 miles.

​Current Transportation Services
  • Local public transportation services are provided by Hampton Roads Transit.
  • HR Traffic allows businesses to arrange shuttle service from bus stops and transfer stations to facilities.
  • AMTRAK service is a convenient and affordable downtown-to-downtown service up and down the Northeast Corridor. View service map
  • TRAFFIX is a cooperative public service, which promotes transportation alternatives.
  • Greyhound Bus Line has several routes through the area.

The Port of Virginia delivers prosperity for the Commonwealth and the region.

The Port​ is built around the world’s largest natural deep-water harbor and currently stands as the third-largest container port on the East Coast. The Port does more than service ships hauling cargo: it drives investment, job creation, revenue growth and connects Virginia to the world.