Amtrak said last year was one for the books for train travel around Virginia and the Alexandria station had the state’s second-highest ridership in the southeastern United States.

Just behind Richmond at 424,617 riders, Alexandria Union Station had 327,285 riders in 2023.

“The tremendous growth in ridership is a result of the substantial investments North Carolina and Virginia are making to expand and improve passenger rail,” Amtrak Vice President Ray Lang said in a release. “Customers are taking advantage of a sustainable way to travel to the many destinations our network offers.”

The third-highest ridership in the region was in Charlotte, North Carolina, with 281,220 riders. The next highest in Virginia was the Norfolk station at 232,530 riders.

“Richmond is not just the capital of Virginia, it’s the epicenter of the East, connecting the Southeast and the Northeast by rail,” DJ Stadtler, Executive Director of the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority (VPRA), said in the release. “All three of these stations — Richmond-Staples Mill, Alexandria, and Norfolk — offer Virginians access to rail service connecting the Commonwealth with the rest of the east coast.”

(Updated 1:20 p.m.) Train riders bound for D.C. are disembarking in Alexandria instead after a derailment this morning.

Police were deployed to Alexandria’s Amtrak station at 101 Callahan Drive to help handle unruly passengers frustrated by the delays, according to scanner traffic, but so far police at the station said that’s been “theoretical” only.

One Amtrak employee suffered minor injuries in the derailment this morning. The derailment has caused a ripple effect down the line, starting with trains held in Alexandria. More than 100 passengers were stuck at Alexandria Union Station waiting for buses to take them into D.C.

Jennifer Rivers from Richmond was going to Philadelphia with her family for a Beyoncé show.

“We should be in Philly now,” said Rivers. “There’s no communication on what happens when we get on the bus. We can drive the rest of the way, but we need to get reimbursed by Amtrak.”

Shelley burns was heading to New York.

“I’d rather just go back home to Richmond,” Burns said. “I’m worried all the trains to New York will be sold out when we get to D.C.”

As of 10:29 am ET, Train 174 and Train 84 are currently being held in Alexandria (ALX) due to a disabled train blocking the tracks in the area. Updates to follow as more information becomes available.

— Amtrak Northeast (@AmtrakNECAlerts) July 11, 2023

Virginia Railway Express trains running through the station have also been impacted by the derailment, with passengers asked to board OmniRide buses instead.

Due to the service disruption, VRE passengers can board an OmniRide bus today by showing their VRE ticket. See OmniRide’s service information at https://t.co/ENBy3mR0aY

Note: Updates are not typically available for delays under 10 minutes https://t.co/C4lIht2ssW

— Virginia Railway Express (@VaRailExpress) July 11, 2023

James Cullum and Vernon Miles contributed to this story