The station was constructed to consolidate all of the region's public transport entities into one location and serve as the new southern terminus of the two daily round trips on the Virginia Peninsula branch of the Northeast Regional, which previously terminated at the old Newport News station 9 miles (14 km) to the south.

[6] However, the city of Newport News announced on October 10, 2022, that the new station would not be open until the fall of 2023, citing unexpected construction delays.

[8] On February 26, 2024, the expected opening date was pushed back to May or June 2024, with the project costing a total of $53 million.

[9] An additional delay to the fall to allow for the completion of construction and Amtrak's station testing process was announced on July 2, although the project remains on budget.

[2] A third Northeast Regional weekday round trip is planned, as of 2020, under a major spending initiative by the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation.