Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam is proposing a new state budget that includes an estimated $50 million for the push for passenger rail service to the New River Valley.
The governor made his announcement Tuesday during a meeting of the state budget committee.
The plan has stalled for over two years after the Town of Christiansburg purchased a proposed site near the town’s Aquatic Center for a rail station.
The new state funding would provide money for right-of-way and easement acquisitions. Previous state funding was approved for a study with Norfolk Southern to determine what type of infrastructure upgrades would be required to share the tracks with passenger rail traffic.
The rail giant has said such a report is on hold because of COVID-19 associated problems.
A group called “New River Valley Passenger Rail 2020” remains optimistic about having passenger service in the region.
Gaining such service requires the cooperation of Norfolk Southern, which must agree to share the rail line with Amtrak. The proposed study would determine how much money would be needed to upgrade the line to allow for travel for the much higher speed Amtrak requires.
Larry Hincker, a spokesman for NRV Passenger Rail 2020, said the group knows there is strong demand for the service based on a survey conducted by the Regional Commission. In a past interview, he said the group believes that a significant portion of the Roanoke boardings come from the New River Valley and that Roanoke has had the largest year-over-year increase in boardings in Virginia. “Those are all positive signs. So, we remain hopeful,” Hincker said.
The city of Bristol recently released its own findings that forecast annual ridership for Christiansburg to be 40,200 with hopes the passenger service could stretch deep into southwest Virginia. A Bristol stop would generate annual ridership of 23,600. Currently, a stop in Roanoke is averaging 97,600 riders per year.
The Bristol study was a joint effort with the Virginia Tobacco Regional Commission, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Appalachian Regional Commission and the city of Bristol.
New River Valley leaders had hoped passenger rail service could start by 2020, but the overall project has halted with no projected start time in view.
The Town of Christiansburg recently purchased additional property near the aquatics center that would provide land for either a platform or a station. The purchase consisted of five parcels totaling 6.82 acres with the majority lying to the south of the current double tracks.
Initially, the Virginia General Assembly approved $350,000 for a study to determine what improvements are needed to the current freight line in southwest Virginia.
The train station would be owned on a regional basis by localities throughout the NRV. Early estimates say the facility would cost an estimated $4 million.
Passenger service was initially stopped in the area in the mid-60s, but Norfolk Southern continued its own version until 1979 when passenger service was stopped completely.
A preliminary report shows a passenger service into NRV could attract 16,000 to 20,000 riders a year. The discussion includes a possible passenger route out of Roanoke where service has been in operation since 2017.
