Virginia starts construction in Alexandria to improve passenger rail

Dive Temporary:

• Development started final week on a sequence of passenger rail-related initiatives to enhance and broaden train service in Northern Virginia. 
• Plans name for a brand new fourth observe extending for six miles between Alexandria and Arlington, Virginia, to extend capability for Amtrak and Virginia Railway Specific commuter trains; enhancements on the Alexandria VRE station; and the alternative of two older railroad bridges adjoining to that station.
• “Sturdy rail infrastructure in Virginia is essential to our financial system and other people’s skill to get the place they should go,” Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., stated in an announcement.

Dive Perception:

A partnership among the many Virginia Passenger Rail Authority, Amtrak, VRE, freight railroad CSX and town of Alexandria is enterprise the initiatives. They relate to the VPRA’s $2.6 billion Long Bridge project, which is able to add a second two-track rail bridge over the Potomac River, together with new pedestrian and bicycle bridges, to eradicate a bottleneck for passenger and freight trains operating between Virginia and Washington, D.C. 

The suite of initiatives that broke floor Nov. 12 and the Lengthy Bridge undertaking are each focused for completion in 2030. “We [and our partners] have been in a position to develop a plan that mixes various initiatives to learn not simply rail passengers however the area people as nicely,” DJ Stadtler, govt director of VPRA, stated in an announcement.

The initiatives are a part of VPRA’s “Transforming Rail in Virginia” initiative. When accomplished, the initiative will permit a rise within the variety of state-supported Amtrak each day roundtrips from the present eight to 13 and broaden VRE service on two traces, together with new weekend service.

Alexandria station enhancements will embody changing a street-level crossing with a tunnel connecting the 2 platforms and upgrading the platforms to enhance passenger security. The town of Alexandria will lead the creation of a brand new streetscape within the station space below the brand new bridges. 

Virginia has invested in passenger rail by means of help for Amtrak trains, the acquisition of almost 500 miles of railroad right-of-way and the creation of VRE in 1992. The commuter rail system carries a mean of 20,000 passengers daily. Virginia’s state-supported Amtrak trains set a brand new file in fiscal 12 months 2025, carrying over 1.4 million riders. 

In line with VPRA, “passenger rail provides the most cost-effective solution” to site visitors congestion within the state and the Washington, D.C., metropolitan space. In line with the Northern Virginia Regional Fee, the area’s population has grown by 74% since 1990 and is forecast to exceed 3 million by 2040.