Governor Northam announced Wednesday that Virginia had reached an agreement with Norfolk Southern Railway to expand passenger services to the New River Valley for the first time since 1979.
The Western Rail Initiative will expand intercity passenger services from Roanoke to the Northeast Corridor and is an extension of the Transforming Rail program in Virginia.
“The return of passenger traffic to the New River Valley will boost tourism, fuel economic growth and create new opportunities for the area’s 180,000 residents and 40,000 college students,” said Governor Northam. “The Western Rail Initiative is an important part of our Transforming Rail in Virginia program and will support major infrastructure improvements needed to modernize our transportation system and connect communities across the Commonwealth. This agreement is the result of the collaboration of many partners and we look forward to continuing this important work to improve mobility in a fair and environmentally sound way. “
According to a press release, the $ 257.2 million Western Rail Initiative includes:
- $ 38.2 million for the purchase of right of way and track for approximately 45 km of the Virginian Line from the Salem Crossovers west of Roanoke to Merrimac (Christiansburg)
- $ 219 million infrastructure investments along the corridor including:
- Roanoke Yard improvements,
- a 7 mile siding from Nokesville to Calverton, creating a continuous double track corridor for 22 miles from Manassas to Remington,
- Improvements from Salem to Christiansburg, including signal and track upgrades, a maintenance facility and a passenger platform
- Infrastructure improvements along the Route 29 / Interstate 81 corridor
The agreement includes both an upgrade of the existing service and an expansion of the service to the New River Valley.
Officials say that in 2022, an additional morning round-trip to Roanoke will depart from DC, serving Alexandria, Burke, Manassas, Culpeper, Charlottesville, Lynchburg, and Roanoke.
The expansion will complement Amtrak’s existing Northeast Corridor service. The two round trips to the Northeast Corridor will be extended from Roanoke to Christiansburg in 2025 once the infrastructure improvements have been completed.
Virginia and Norfolk Southern will continue to work towards finalizing final legal agreements. The execution is planned for the end of 2021.
The governor says Virginia plans to work with members of the New River Valley Passenger Rail Station Authority to fund the construction of a station building, parking, and road access for the station.