The Richmond Staples Mill Road Amtrak station is located in unincorporated Henrico County, about 5 miles (8 km) north of downtown Richmond. The station was designed by David Volkert and Associates, and was built in 1975 as a replacement for Main Street Station in downtown Richmond, which had been heavily damaged by flooding from Hurricane Agnes. At its opening, it also inherited trains that had called at Richmond's other former union station, Broad Street Station, with a bus connection to the short-lived Richmond–Ellerson Street Station. Although limited Amtrak service returned to Main Street Station in December 2003, Staples Mill Road remains the primary rail station for the Richmond area, and all Richmond trains make a stop there. Richmond Main Street Station only sees trains that terminate there or at Newport News, since the other trains bypass downtown Richmond to the west.
