Dive Brief:
- The Virginia Passenger Rail Authority announced an agreement with freight railroad Norfolk Southern on Sept. 5 that would allow for expanded Virginia Railway Express commuter service and enable state-supported Amtrak trains to travel beyond Roanoke, Virginia, to Christiansburg, Virginia, in the state’s New River Valley.
- Under the agreement, VRPA purchased the Manassas Line from Norfolk Southern, a route between Alexandria, Virginia, and the Broad Run station in Bristow, Virginia, currently served by Amtrak and Virginia Railway Express commuter service. The agreement also gives VRPA access to Norfolk Southern’s line south of Roanoke, using existing infrastructure.
- The agreement builds on VRPA’s investments in acquiring freight railroad rights-of-way, allowing the agency to grow passenger rail service in the state. “We have a very good relationship with Norfolk Southern and [freight railroad] CSX, and we're honest with each other,” said Michael McLaughlin, chief operating officer at the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority in a June interview.
Dive Insight:
The VRPA was established in 2020 and concluded an initial agreement with Norfolk Southern in 2022 to bring passenger rail to the New River Valley. But the first plan was on a different, more mountainous, route. On second thought — after VRPA conducted due diligence and early engineering — the agency found the costs to be higher than anticipated, McLaughlin explained.
Negotiations with the freight railroad were reopened and centered around Norfolk Southern’s N-Line to Christiansburg. That line is double-tracked and flatter, McLaughlin said, making the route more feasible. According to Cardinal News, Norfolk Southern will build a station platform, trackage and layover facility at the Cambria station in Christiansburg. Ownership will transfer to the VPRA once complete. “This new agreement with Norfolk Southern allows passenger rail to reach Christiansburg years earlier and at a better location,” said Virginia Secretary of Transportation Shep Miller in a statement.
VRPA’s purchase of the Manassas Line will allow Virginia Railway Express to add more evening trains during the week and start weekend service. “This agreement is proof of what’s possible when freight and passenger railroads work together,” said Norfolk Southern Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer Mike McClellan in a statement.
Amtrak’s ridership in Virginia, which VRPA manages, set a record in April 2024, almost 10% higher than the same month in the prior year.
