Transforming Rail in Virginia
HIGH-PERFORMANCE, HIGH-QUALITY PASSENGER RAIL
The Commonwealth is making generational investments delivering on its vision to provide high-performance passenger and commuter rail service that connects our communities and increases economic growth. VPRA’s implementation of these projects will change how Virginians travel, removing traffic from roads and highways, and increasing commuting options in all corners of the state while improving performance and reliability. VPRA’s partnerships, capital projects, and infrastructure enhancement programs will grow the Commonwealth’s rail network by adding additional passenger and commuter services.
ABOUT TRANSFORMING RAIL IN VIRGINIA
Transforming Rail in Virginia is changing the future of rail transportation in Virginia by acquiring railroad right-of-way, increasing rail capacity, and reworking passenger and freight operations to improve reliability and increase rail service in Virginia.
CAPACITY
Develop capital improvement projects, including the new Long Bridge, and acquire railroad tracks and right-of-way to provide more rail capacity.
QUALITY
Expand high-quality, modern passenger rail service across the Commonwealth by making it more frequent, reliable, and convenient.
CHOICE
Provide additional choice in moving people and goods efficiently through transportation corridors in Virginia while accommodating growing travel demand.
BACKGROUND
Virginia has been a part of Amtrak’s national system since the railroad’s creation in 1971. With its crucial location just south of the nation’s capital, station stops in the Commonwealth are some of Amtrak’s busiest in the southeast. Passenger rail service in the state includes Amtrak long distance services – the Cardinal, Crescent, Palmetto, Silver Meteor, Silver Star, and the Auto Train, the longest passenger train in the world, as well as the state-supported service, Amtrak Virginia.
In December 2019, then-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.
Projects
Transforming Rail in Virginia allows the Commonwealth to double Amtrak state-supported service and significantly increase Virginia Railway Express (VRE) Fredericksburg Line and Manassas Line service (including first-time-ever weekend and late-night service) during the next decade.
ECONOMIC IMPACT
According to the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service at the University of Virginia, Transforming Rail will stimulate Virginia’s economy through substantial capital investments and operational enhancements made through FY 2035. The total cumulative economic impact over the over the period state fiscal year (FY) 2025 to FY 2035, including indirect and induced effects, is projected to be 33,668 jobs, $2.6 billion in labor income, $4.0 billion in value-added, and $6.7 billion in output.