Meredith Richards

Meredith Richards
RPA Board Chair

Meredith has served as RPA Chair since 2022. Under her leadership, the board has a new Strategic Plan, a DEI Policy and Committee, a commitment to transparency and inclusion, a record number of new, first-time Council candidates and a good start on streamlining our bylaws

As RPA Chair, Meredith meets regularly in person or electronically with regional advocates around the country to learn about their work, celebrate their victories, strengthen our relationships and support their efforts.

She is also one of only a few RPA members who’ve had the privilege of being “in the room” and “at the table” at the Federal Railroad Administration Long Distance Service Study workshops, where she represents the Southeastern US.

Career highlights include:

• President of the Virginia Rail Policy Institute (varpi.org) for fifteen years.
• Co-Chair and Past President of Virginians for High-Speed Rail (VHSR.com)
• The first Chairwoman of the Rail Passengers Association.
• Established and organized a consortium of twenty-two political jurisdictions and other stakeholders to create the Piedmont Rail Coalition, which succeeded in bringing the Lynchburg-DC Northeast Regional to the US29 corridor ─ Virginia’s first state-supported intercity passenger train. The route now has two daily frequencies, was extended to Roanoke and is slated to extend to Christiansburg in Southwest Virginia by 2026

As an elected official, she understood the importance of funding policies for public transportation and had a direct hand in creating the funding mechanisms that have made Virginia a national leader in passenger rail.

• As President of the Virginia Transit Association (1998-2000), she led a successful effort to significantly increase transit’s formula share of the state transportation fund.

• While serving on Governor Mark Warner’s Commission on Rail Enhancement for the 21st Century (2005-2006), Meredith helped establish The Rail Enhancement Fund ─ Virginia’s first dedicated fund for rail capital projects.

• As President of Virginians for High-Speed Rail (2008-2011), she led the successful campaign to establish the Intercity Passenger Rail Operating and Capital Fund ─ the nation’s first dedicated state fund for intercity passenger rail.

• More recently, as Co-Chair of Virginians for High-Speed Rail, Meredith helped build public support for the Commonwealth Rail Fund, a permanent division of the state transportation fund, and for the newly established Virginia Passenger Rail Authority.

In 2020, Virginians for High-Speed Rail created a Legislative Achievement Award in her name and gave the first award to Virginia Secretary of Transportation Shannon Valentine.

Meredith also authored a brief on "Multiuse Trails and the Protection of Virginia Rail Lines" and helped spark a “Save the Rails” campaign in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley in response to a well-funded campaign to turn an unused Norfolk Southern line into a Rail Trail and inspired a countermovement to build a Rail WITH Trail adjacent to the line, preserving it for future freight and passenger rail use.