New River Valley Project

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New River Valley Project

In the Summer of 2024, VPRA signed a new agreement with Norfolk Southern to purchase the Manassas Line and gain passenger rail access to Christiansburg on the main line or N-Line. The New River Valley project will return passenger rail service to the historic Cambria Yard, which served rail passengers from 1904 to 1979. The Project will construct a high-level platform, canopy, parking lot, siding track, and layover facility.

The Virginia General Assembly established The New River Valley Station Authority in 2021 to lead the construction and maintenance of the station building project. Norfolk Southern is managing the design and construction of all other aspects of the building project not related to the station.

The project includes:

Platform with canopy
Parking lot
Track improvements
Updated signaling system
Access roads
Norfolk Southern staffing and maintenance facility
Amtrak layover facility in nearby Radford
Renovation of the historic Christiansburg station

Pictured to the right: rendering of the station building, platform, and tracks.

Project Status: Construction

Site preparation and preliminary construction began in late February 2025. The new Norfolk Southern staffing and maintenance facility will be completed first, followed by the new track, platform with canopy, parking, and access roads. The station renovations are expected to commence in 2027 after the NRV service begins.

Increased rail capacity that enables more frequent passenger rail service with better on-time reliability
Modernized and renovated historic rail station that provides access to the expanded Amtrak Virginia passenger service
New access for Radford University, Virginia Tech and the entire New River Valley area

Total Budget: Cambria Platform & Radford Layover: $71.5M

*Total cost of Western Rail Corridor, for more information view the VPRA Budget