Virginia Governor Ralph Northam announced the Commonwealth has finalized agreements with Amtrak, CSX, and Virginia Railway Express, launching a $3.7 billion investment to expand and improve passenger, commuter, and freight rail in Virginia and create a vital connection in America’s national rail network between the Northeast and Southeast corridors.
“We have an unprecedented opportunity to build a 21st century rail system in Virginia and along the entire East Coast,” said Governor Northam.
“This historic initiative will help get people and goods where they need to go more efficiently, reduce congestion and pollution, and create a more inclusive economy. Together with our partners at Amtrak, CSX, and VRE, we are making critical investments that will fundamentally transform our transportation infrastructure, delivering long-term economic benefits for our workers and communities as we rebound from the pandemic and into the future.”
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg joined the event at Alexandria’s Amtrak/Virginia Railway Express (VRE) station, highlighting the American Rescue Plan recently passed by Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden.
The American Rescue Plan includes $1.7 billion to get Amtrak employees furloughed due to the pandemic back to work, restore daily long-distance service, and help states cover lost revenue in state-supported routes. It also includes critical funding for transit and rail networks and to keep people connected to jobs, health care, and essential needs and services during the pandemic.
The finalization of the agreements represents a major milestone that will allow construction to advance on significant rail infrastructure projects in Virginia. The partnering agreements support the construction of a $1.9 billion bridge over the Potomac River dedicated to passenger rail, acquisition of 386 miles of railroad right-of-way and 223 miles of track from CSX, and an investment of more than $1 billion in additional infrastructure improvements by the Commonwealth.
These investments will allow Virginia to expand Amtrak and VRE services, create a pathway for the separation of freight and passenger rail in Virginia, and preserve future rail corridors.
Over the next ten years, this unique partnership will:
• Double Virginia-supported Amtrak trains providing nearly hourly service;
• Increase VRE commuter service by 60 percent;
• Lay the foundation for a Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor;
• Preserve an existing freight corridor between Doswell and Clifton Forge for future east-west passenger service; and
• Create the potential to expand rail to all parts of the Commonwealth.
The Commonwealth is bringing together Amtrak, state, and regional partners to fund the initiative. The $944 million commitment from Amtrak to be provided over the next decade is nearly 30 percent of the cost of the improvements that will be delivered by the Transforming Rail in Virginia program.
In addition, the Commonwealth and Amtrak are entering into a long-term partnership for six new state-supported daily roundtrips, and Amtrak will be Virginia’s exclusive provider of intercity passenger rail service along the I-95 corridor for at least 30 years.
A new, Virginia-owned, two-track bridge will be built across the Potomac River adjacent to the CSX freight bridge and will be dedicated to passenger and commuter rail. This partnership will expand service and enhance reliability on Virginia’s rail lines, creating a pathway to separate passenger and freight operations along the Richmond to Washington, D.C. corridor.
The new bridge will also reduce congestion and improve fluidity for CSX and its customers. This additional efficiency is expected to translate to increased freight rail, removing an additional one million trucks from Virginia and Washington, D.C. roadways each year.
Beyond the new Long Bridge, Virginia will acquire half of the rail corridor right-of-way from Washington, D.C., to Petersburg, Virginia, the full extent of CSX ownership from Petersburg to Ridgeway, North Carolina, and the entire corridor from Doswell to Clifton Forge.
With the exception of Ashland, the right-of-way from Washington, D.C., to Richmond is wide enough to construct a four-track corridor, with two tracks dedicated to passenger rail, and when fully built out will allow separate passenger and freight movement. The CSX agreement also defines the roles and responsibilities of the parties supporting the 10-year build out of the infrastructure improvements. ■
A very active and complex mid-May weather pattern is set to produce numerous areas of severe weather, heavy rain, high winds, and anomalous temperatures through this weekend.