Background

Since 2016, the Atlantic Gateway project has evolved to expand in scope across the Commonwealth and is now known, in a new form, as Transforming Rail in Virginia.
(For more information regarding Atlantic Gateway, please see the Unlocking the I-95 Corridor section below.)

Commonwealth awards FASTLANE grant for $165 million to support Atlantic Gateway project.

Governor Ralph Northam announces agreement between the Commonwealth and CSXT

Virginia and CSXT expand term sheet into legally definitive agreements

March 30, 2021 — Agreements announced at a ceremonial signing event with Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg

Governor Ralph Northam announces agreement between the Commonwealth and Norfolk Southern

In December 2019, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam announced a landmark rail agreement between the Commonwealth and CSX Transportation (CSXT), based on the execution of a legally binding term sheet. This announcement became the catalyst for what we know today as Transforming Rail in Virginia.

Between December 2019 and March 2021, Virginia and CSXT refined the term sheet into legally definitive agreements. Through the agreement with CSXT, Virginia acquired 384 miles of CSXT right-of-way and 223 miles of track in rail corridors paralleling I-95, I-64, and I-85. The definitive agreement was announced at an event on March 30, 2021, with Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg. The agreement includes approximately:

  • Half of the CSXT-owned railroad right-of-way between Washington, DC, and Petersburg, VA
  • All of the CSXT-owned (but out of service) right-of-way between Petersburg, VA, and Ridgeway, NC
  • Nearly all of the CSXT-owned right-of-way between Doswell, VA, and Clifton Forge, VA
  • Track within the right-of-way purchased by Virginia also becomes Virginia property

In 2020, the Virginia General Assembly created the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority (VPRA)—a new, independent authority dedicated to managing, funding, and growing passenger rail services. Staying true to the Transforming Rail in Virginia vision, VPRA continues to seek opportunities to expand and enhance passenger rail across Virginia. On May 5, 2021, Governor Northam announced that the Commonwealth reached an agreement with Norfolk Southern Railway to expand passenger rail to southwest Virginia. In partnership with Norfolk Southern Railway, the Commonwealth is acquiring 28.5 miles of the Norfolk Southern-owned right-of-way from the Salem Crossovers to Christiansburg. The acquisition of railroad right-of-way and tracks, along with infrastructure improvements and improved operations, will allow for the expansion of high-quality passenger rail services. As Transforming Rail in Virginia expands, so too will connections to reliable, safe, and sustainable transportation and the scope of the program as a whole.

Our Rail Future

Transforming Rail in Virginia is a path to connecting our communities and increasing economic opportunities through strategic investments in rail. With the agreements in place, Virginians and the greater Virginia travelshed will enjoy additional rail capacity, expanded high-quality modern passenger rail service, and additional travel choice. Simultaneously, CSXT and Norfolk Southern Railway will benefit from capacity improvements that reduce interference with passenger rail services due to congestion on the tracks. This will allow CSXT and Norfolk Southern Railway to move goods more competitively within and through Virginia and create growth opportunities for Virginia’s inland and marine port facilities. The Commonwealth will continue to proactively seek opportunities to make strategic investments in rail that align with Virginia’s transportation goals and policies to advance Virginia businesses, attract a 21st century workforce, and promote healthy communities where Virginians of all ages and abilities can thrive.

History

Over the past two decades, the Commonwealth has focused on expanding Virginia’s state-supported passenger rail program to better serve Virginia residents and businesses. Various passenger and freight rail studies and improvement projects have been completed to enhance reliability and increase capacity. The Commonwealth of Virginia promotes multimodal solutions to moving people and goods efficiently through transportation corridors. Demand for freight movement through and within the Commonwealth is growing. The Port of Virginia is the eighth-largest port by tonnage in the United States and one of the fastest-growing ports on the East Coast. At the same time, the demand for additional safe and reliable passenger service continues to increase as population in the Transforming Rail in Virginia corridors and adjacent urban regions continues to grow.

Currently, passenger rail shares space with freight rail in the Commonwealth, operating service through complex agreements. Passenger rail performance cannot improve, and services cannot grow, without expanding the existing infrastructure. While freight rail improvements help ensure the economic vitality of businesses and communities with a cost-effective, reliable way to bring goods to market, capacity improvements reduce congestion on the tracks, which reduces interference with passenger rail services.1

Unlocking the I-95 Corridor
In July 2016, the US Department of Transportation (USDOT) awarded the Commonwealth a federal FASTLANE grant for $165 million to support Virginia’s Atlantic Gateway project, a $1.4 billion package of rail and highway expansion projects that address freight and passenger rail needs along the I-95 corridor between Washington, DC, and Fredericksburg, VA. The Commonwealth, including the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) and Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), combined the federal funding with $565 million in private investments and $710 million in state and other transportation funds to advance the project. Furthermore, DRPT focused on advancing partnerships with freight railroads to expand passenger rail service on major freight rail corridors in Virginia. These partnerships balance freight and economic development needs with the improved mobility, transportation, and environmental benefits offered by passenger rail1

1 Virginia Statewide Rail Plan