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Tag: VRE

Kaine, Warner announce $100M for rail bridge in NoVa

U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine announced $100 million in federal funds Thursday for the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority to build a rail bridge to ease congestion along a busy stretch of railway in Fairfax County.

The money will go toward design and construction of the Franconia-Springfield Bypass, a bridge that will allow Amtrak and Virginia Railway Express trains to cross over two freight rail tracks south of the Franconia-Springfield station. According to a news release, the project will expand service capacity and help thwart delays. CSX, Amtrak and VRE use the tracks, and construction is set to take place between 2024 and 2026.

“Passenger rail is a vital connector for so many Virginians — carrying people to their work, their families and their travel plans,” Warner and Kaine said in a statement. “We’re thrilled to see this funding make rail safer and more efficient for Virginians by addressing a critical chokepoint in a vital location, alleviating congestion for hundreds of Virginians every single day.”

The funding is awarded through the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements Program, and made possible by the bipartisan infrastructure law and the FY2022 government spending bill.

According to a May report, VRE saw 6,233 daily riders across its system in April. The Fredericksburg line, which passes through Franconia-Springfield, saw a little less than 4,000 daily riders during that month.

Va. finalizes $3.7B rail expansion agreement

Virginia will have more train service in the next decade, as Gov. Ralph Northam announced Tuesday the formalization of a $3.7 billion rail expansion package in Virginia, the tenets of which were announced in late 2019. The state signed agreements with Amtrak, CSX and Virginia Railway Express at a ceremony Tuesday.

According to the governor’s office, the number of Amtrak trains serving Virginia will double over the next 10 years, providing nearly hourly service, and increase VRE commuter service by 60%. An existing east-west freight corridor between Doswell and Clifton Forge will be preserved to provide passenger service, and the project creates the possibility of rail serving the entire state. Some of the funding comes from the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan legislation Congress passed in December toward pandemic relief.

Northam, who signed the agreements Tuesday while accompanied by U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg at the Amtrak/Virginia Railway Express station in Alexandria, called the agreements a historic initiative “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.”

The pandemic relief bill includes $1.7 billion to bring furloughed Amtrak workers back to work, restore service and help states cover lost revenue, Buttigieg said. One of the biggest hurdles to Virginia’s railway challenges has been the sole rail connection between Virginia and Washington, D.C., an East Coast bottleneck owned and operated by CSX. Constructing an adjacent $1.9 billion, two-track, Virginia-owned Long Bridge over the Potomac River will help solve that issue, officials say.

Tuesday’s set of agreements includes a 10-year, $944 million commitment from Amtrak. The company will become the exclusive provider of intercity passenger rail service along Interstate 95 for at least 30 years, according to the announcement.

“Virginia is a model for the nation in recognizing the role passenger rail plays in connecting people and economies,” Amtrak CEO Bill Flynn said in a statement. “Expanding our state-supported intercity corridors gives us greater opportunities to meaningfully address the carbon crisis and enhance mobility as our population continues to grow.”

The state says its Transforming Rail in Virginia Initiative is meant to address growing traffic congestion, with Virginia’s population expected to increase from 8.5 million to 10 million during the next decade — a fifth of which is expected in Northern Virginia. The governor also projects that the initiative will grow the state economy by $2 billion annually.

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