Grant will fund Long Bridge and Phase II Projects

RICHMOND – The Virginia Passenger Rail Authority (VPRA) today announced it has been awarded a $729 million grant by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) through its Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Program (FSP-National). The grant will aid VPRA in completing the final design and construction of Long Bridge and all Phase 2 projects of the Transforming Rail in Virginia (TRV) initiative.

“This grant is great news for Virginians,” said DJ Stadtler, Executive Director of VPRA. “The full funding of our Transforming Rail in Virginia Phase II projects, in particular, Long Bridge will result in a transformative increase in rail travel in the Commonwealth and along the East Coast. VPRA is grateful for the immense support we have received from our Virginia senators and Congressional delegation for this initiative. Their support has been immeasurable.”

“These rail projects will improve fluidity for freight and passengers not only in Virginia, but up and down the eastern seaboard. They will be a game-changer for our growing economy, world-class port, and top regional destinations,” said Secretary of Transportation Shep Miller. “I’d like to thank the VPRA team—especially Board Chair Jen DeBruhl and Executive Director DJ Stadtler—and our federal partners for helping us jumpstart these key projects.”

“This $729 million grant to advance rail projects in Virginia, including the critical construction of a new Long Bridge, is a huge win for not just Virginia, but the entire East Coast,” said Jennifer DeBruhl, Chair of the VPRA Board and Director of the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation. “This investment in an important rail corridor is fundamental to the Commonwealth’s economic future and will significantly improve commuter and passenger rail service as well as freight flow.”

The TRV initiative would not be possible without 1) the forward-thinking legislation passed by the Virginia General Assembly in 2020 that funded the vast majority of the initiative and created VPRA; 2) the series of real estate, funding, infrastructure, and passenger rail service agreements VPRA signed in 2021 with CSX, Amtrak, and VRE; and 3) the support of the Governor, the Secretary of Transportation, the General Assembly, and the Commonwealth Transportation Board.

In Northern Virginia, the initiative will separate passenger and freight rail operations from L’Enfant Plaza in Washington, DC to Spotsylvania County just south of Fredericksburg. Separating these two distinct services will improve on-time performance for both. Five projects will be completed using the funds:

• Long Bridge: Final design and construction of approximately 1.8 miles of improvements between Arlington, VA and Washington, DC including five rail bridges, one pedestrian/bicycle bridge over the Potomac River and the replacement of a pedestrian bridge over Maine Avenue SW, as well as related railroad infrastructure;
• L’Enfant Fourth Track and Station Improvements: Final design and construction of approximately 1 mile of additional mainline track through and around the L’Enfant VRE Station and improvements to the existing station platform;
• Neabsco Creek to Woodbridge Third Track (Siding D): Final design and construction of 3.1 miles of third track in Prince William County, VA;
• Aquia Creek Third Track South (Siding E): Final design and construction of approximately 2.3 miles of third track in Stafford County, VA;
• Crossroads Third Track (Siding F): Final design and construction of approximately 4 miles of third track in Spotsylvania County, VA.

Completion of TRV’s Phase 2 projects will allow for three new roundtrip Amtrak Virginia state-supported trains in 2030. That will be in addition to the current eight roundtrips and the two that are scheduled to launch in 2026 for a total of 13 daily roundtrips by 2030 – with nearly hourly service between Richmond and Washington, D.C. It will also allow for an increase in the number of VRE frequencies with more weekend and late-night options as well as the first step to enabling future pass-through MARC service between Maryland and Alexandria, VA.

Amtrak Virginia, the state-supported passenger rail service, continues to set ridership records. In October, 125,689 passengers traveled — an increase of 20.1% over last October and the highest ridership ever in October since Amtrak Virginia service began in 2009. Currently, Amtrak Virginia service offers three daily roundtrips between Norfolk and Washington, DC, two daily roundtrips between both Roanoke and Washington, and Newport News and Washington, and one daily roundtrip between Richmond and the nation’s capital.

About Virginia Passenger Rail Authority

The Virginia Passenger Rail Authority was established in 2020 to promote, sustain, and expand the availability of passenger and commuter rail service in the Commonwealth. VPRA is committed to delivering and expanding its state-supported Amtrak Virginia passenger rail service.  The Commonwealth of Virginia first launched state-supported service in 2009 with one roundtrip between Washington, DC and Lynchburg, VA.  Since that time, the Commonwealth’s service has grown to include eight roundtrips daily with stops at 17 stations along four corridors.  For more information, please visit vapassengerrailauthority.org.

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Selections are a significant step in Transforming Rail in Virginia Initiative  

RICHMOND – The Virginia Passenger Rail Authority (VPRA) announced today that it has selected construction partners for two of its most significant Transforming Rail in Virginia (TRV) projects. For the Long Bridge-North Package, VPRA has selected Skanska/Flatiron Joint Venture, and for the Franconia-Springfield Bypass, VPRA has selected Flatiron/Herzog Joint Venture.

“Selecting construction partners for the Long Bridge-North Package and the Franconia-Springfield Bypass represents a significant milestone in our plan to build passenger rail infrastructure at a level not seen in generations,” said DJ Stadtler, Executive Director of VPRA. “We look forward to working with both teams in this important step toward making rail a viable transportation option and truly Transforming Rail in Virginia.”

“We are eager to collaborate with both teams to bring Virginia another step closer in dramatically improving its rail infrastructure,” said Jennifer DeBruhl, Director of the Department of Rail and Public Transportation and Chair of the VPRA Board. “With the Long Bridge-North Package and Franconia-Springfield Bypass, Virginians will one day be able to have more abilities to travel by train, and the economy will grow with a more efficient rail network benefitting both passenger and freight rail.”

Long Bridge-North Package 

The Long Bridge-North Package will use the Progressive Design-Build project delivery method. In March, VPRA issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) seeking qualified design-build teams for the north end of the Long Bridge Project from the northern banks of the Potomac River to just south of the L’Enfant Virginia Railway Express (VRE) Station.

The selection of Skanska/Flatiron Joint Venture is a significant step towards the realization of the largest project in the Commonwealth’s TRV initiative. Currently, Long Bridge is near 30% design. The Skanska/Flatiron Joint Venture team will take the project from the design phase through construction. Early prep work is expected to begin in 2024 with full construction commencing in early 2025. Construction is expected to be completed in 2030.

The current Long Bridge – a 119-year-old railroad bridge – connects Arlington, Virginia with the District of Columbia and regularly operates at 98 percent capacity during peak periods.  As a result, additional capacity is necessary to meet future demand and to relieve a major chokepoint for rail traffic along the East Coast.

The Long Bridge Project, which consists of two procurement packages (a North Package and a South Package), will construct a new modern, two-track railroad bridge and will allow for the separation of passenger and freight rail traffic, improving trip times and on-time performance for both along the corridor.

The North Package encompasses a very complicated construction area from the new bridge’s northern abutment moving north to L’Enfant interlocking near L’Enfant Plaza in Washington, DC. This package includes the construction of a number of smaller bridges within the project footprint, including:

• a new rail bridge over the WMATA Portal/I-395;
• the replacement of the existing two-track Ohio Drive SW Rail Bridge with a four-track bridge;
• the replacement of the existing two-track Washington Channel Rail Bridge with a four-track bridge;
• the replacement of the existing two-track Maine Avenue SW Rail Bridge with a four-track bridge; and
• the replacement of the Maine Avenue SW Pedestrian Bridge.

While the North Package will construct rail track and a series of bridges north of the Potomac River, the Long Bridge-South Package will consist of the bridge span over the Potomac River and an adjacent bicycle-pedestrian bridge. The South Package is currently in the procurement process with a Request for Proposals to be released to shortlisted teams by VPRA in February of 2024.

The estimated cost of the entire Long Bridge Project – including both the North and South packages – is $2.3 billion.

Franconia-Springfield Bypass 

The Franconia-Springfield Bypass project will be delivered using the Construction Manager/General Contractor project delivery method. After issuing a Request for Proposals and receiving responsive proposals from teams, VPRA selected Flatiron/Herzog Joint Venture.

The Franconia-Springfield Bypass will alleviate train interference at one of the most congested points in Virginia – between Fredericksburg and Washington, DC. When complete, the bypass will be an approximately 0.9-mile-long, dedicated passenger rail bridge located just south of the Franconia-Springfield Metro station. Site clearing and early construction work are expected to begin by the end of March 2024 with full construction expected to commence in 2024 and last for two years.

“Flatiron and Herzog are thrilled to partner with the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority on the Franconia-Springfield Bypass project. This partnership leverages our collective rail expertise throughout North America and strengthens Flatiron’s presence in the Virginia, Maryland, and Washington D.C. area,” said Jim Schneiderman, Flatiron Senior Vice President for Mid-Atlantic. “Flatiron and Herzog are both committed to enhancing the well-being of communities in which we live and work. This project will do just that by reducing congestion and providing safer, more reliable rail service.”

The bypass structure will be owned by VPRA and will allow passenger trains to cross over the two existing freight tracks to reach station passenger stops on the opposite side of the railroad, providing improved service for both passenger and freight trains through the area. The bypass will further VPRA’s mission to create two separate rail corridors, one for passenger trains and one for freight trains and will serve both Amtrak and VRE trains.

The estimated cost of the Franconia-Springfield Bypass project is $405 million.

Transforming Rail in Virginia 

VPRA’s TRV initiative launched in 2021 with a goal to expand the availability of passenger rail throughout the Commonwealth. Through the support of VPRA and its partners, passenger rail has increasingly become the transportation option for those Virginians seeking an alternative to driving.

Amtrak, which serves as VPRA’s operational partner for its Amtrak Virginia state-supported rail service, is contributing $944 million to the TRV program.

“We celebrate this major development that will get shovels in the ground and start construction for these projects,” Amtrak Vice President Ray Lang said. “We are proud to partner with VPRA and share the commitment to transform transportation by creating the infrastructure to expand East Coast commuter and passenger train capacity.”

Through an innovative agreement with freight partner, CSX, VPRA was able to purchase the railroad corridor necessary to complete the TRV projects. While these projects will create dedicated passenger rail capacity, in doing so, they will also alleviate congestion on freight tracks, thereby increasing the availability of CSX freight throughput for the Commonwealth and the Port of Virginia.

“CSX congratulates VPRA on selection of construction partners for the Long Bridge North and Franconia-Springfield Bypass projects,” said Randy Marcus Director of State Relations-VA, WV & DC for CSX Transportation. “Infrastructure projects like these are essential to expanding capacity, improving fluidity and separating freight and passenger operations in this congested corridor. We look forward to continuing to advance our partnership with Virginia to deliver improved service to both CSX customers and VRE and Amtrak riders.”

VRE has been a strong proponent of VPRA projects since the agency’s inception, and their support continues with close to $200 million in contributions towards the TRV program.

“These two projects will be game changers for VRE, allowing us to expand service in the region,” said VRE’s CEO Rich Dalton. “And the reduction in congestion that will result from the separation of freight and passenger trains will significantly improve our reliability. VRE is pleased to partner with VPRA and see these projects move forward.”

Expanding passenger rail throughout the Commonwealth takes cooperation from transportation partners across the state. The Northern Virginia Transportation Authority’s support of the project is vital to its completion.

“NVTA’s $23 million investment in the Franconia-Springfield Bypass Project is more than a financial contribution; it’s a commitment to deliver faster, more frequent, and reliable passenger rail service to Virginia, said Monica Backmon, Chief Executive Officer, Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA). “We take pride in this investment, as it represents our dedication to providing multimodal options to reduce congestion, ultimately moving commuters more efficiently.”

Additional transportation partners who have supported the TRV initiative include the US DOT and Virginia’s Congressional Delegation, who both recognize the importance of passenger rail in the Commonwealth’s transportation mix.

A national model for the expansion of state-supported passenger rail service, TRV is a 10-year initiative through which the Commonwealth will acquire railroad corridors and upgrade them, increasing rail capacity with a portfolio of capital projects designed to improve reliability and increase rail service in Virginia. Through TRV, the Commonwealth will:

• increase the state-supported Amtrak service between Washington, DC and Richmond, resulting in near-hourly service along this corridor;
• increase Amtrak service to Roanoke, Newport News, and Norfolk;
• extend Amtrak service from Roanoke to the New River Valley (Christiansburg) and construct a new passenger station and platform; and
• increase VRE Fredericksburg Line service by 75 percent and add new late-night and weekend service.

About Virginia Passenger Rail Authority

The Virginia Passenger Rail Authority was established in 2020 to promote, sustain, and expand the availability of passenger and commuter rail service in the Commonwealth. VPRA is committed to delivering and expanding its state-supported Amtrak Virginia passenger rail service.  The Commonwealth of Virginia first launched state-supported service in 2009 with one roundtrip between Washington, DC and Lynchburg, VA.  Since that time, the Commonwealth’s service has grown to include eight roundtrips daily with stops at 17 stations along four corridors.  For more information, please visit vapassengerrailauthority.org.

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