An artist rendering shows what a passenger station and its stop in Christiansburg could like when passenger rail comes back to the area.
Marty Gordon
NRVsports@ourvalley.org
The return of passenger rail service to the New River Valley took another step forward this week with a major announcement by the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority (VPRA), who announced an agreement with Norfolk Southern Corporation to purchase the Manassas line.
The path would bring Amtrak service to a former passenger station in the Cambria section of Christiansburg, and the possibility of a layover stop in Radford, further down the line.
According to a press release, through this new agreement, the VPRA will have the ability to extend its state-supported Amtrak Virginia service to the New River Valley (NRV) sooner and at a lower cost than originally planned. In addition, the purchase of the Manassas Line will enable VPRA to increase the Virginia Railway Express’ (VRE) Manassas Line service in the future with additional frequencies including both evening and weekend options.
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin said a vote by the VRE will advance a better, faster, and cheaper solution to bring passenger rail back to a historic location in the New River Valley while also providing opportunities to bolster service in Northern Virginia,
“We are excited to deliver these benefits as we continue to accelerate results not only in these two regions, but across the entire Commonwealth,” he said.
Just last month, state officials said an original plan to take passenger rail down a secondary track near Christiansburg would push cost to nearly $1 billion, mainly thanks to the need to renovate a train tunnel at the Merrimac section of the county.
The state group and local officials then moved quickly to shift the project back to the M-Line, which comes through the center of the town and would use a former train station that is currently being used a NS maintenance facility.
The cost to renovate the former structure is not known, but under the agreement announced this week, NS would absorb much of the budget. The state would have to move quickly to reach a 2026 completion date with rail work from Roanoke to Christiansburg.
“We look forward to finalizing this agreement, which will make passenger rail a viable option for even more Virginians,” said DJ Stadtler, Executive Director of VPRA. “We appreciate Norfolk Southern’s partnership and look forward to working with them to expand passenger rail in the Commonwealth.”
“At Norfolk Southern, we know the power rail has to connect communities and grow economies, and we’re proud to play a role in helping VPRA in its mission to support and expand the availability of passenger and commuter rail service in the Commonwealth,” said Norfolk Southern Chief Strategy Officer Mike McClellan. “We want to thank VPRA for its partnership and dedication in reaching an agreement that has the potential to benefit generations of Virginians with reliable, convenient rail travel, while also balancing the needs of the freight rail network the economy relies on.”
VPRA first announced it was in discussions with Norfolk Southern back in June. Responding to public input which supported service to Christiansburg along the N-Line and seeking a more cost-effective and timelier alternative for that service, VPRA reached out to Norfolk Southern who agreed to re-open negotiations. Over the past three months, the two have worked together to develop plans which will allow passenger rail service to return to Christiansburg via Norfolk Southern’s Cambria Yard, which previously served the community from 1904 to 1979.
The release said the inclusion of the Manassas Line in the deal will give VPRA the flexibility to work with VRE to expand service along their Manassas Line. The ability to add evening and weekend service is something the commuter agency has recently sought as commuting trends have changed, and the need for service beyond traditional commuting times has increased. The combination of the 2024 VPRA-Norfolk Southern agreement with the 2021 VPRA-CSX agreement means that when the six Phase 1 Transforming Rail in Virginia Construction Projects are complete additional VRE roundtrips could start not only on the Fredericksburg Line but on the Manassas Line as well.
The question has always been whether NS could co-exist with a passenger trip to Christiansburg. In other parts of the state, they showed that could happen.
Currently, VRE offers eight roundtrips on the Manassas Line with stops at Broad Run, Manassas, Manassas Park, Burke Centre, Rolling Road, Backlick Road, Alexandria, Crystal City, L’Enfant, and Washington Union Station.
Following the Board of Directors vote, VPRA leadership will move forward to finalize the agreement with Norfolk Southern and close the deal in early September.
This move also came as the state said its passenger rail service, Amtrak Virginia, saw another month of record ridership in April. With a total of 118,474 passengers traveling, April 2024 beat April 2023 by 9.8%. All four Amtrak Virginia corridors saw ridership increases resulting in the highest ridership for the month of April since the Commonwealth started state-supported service in 2009. The Norfolk corridor again carried the most passengers with 44,616 traveling.
This includes a 4.4 percent increase for the Roanoke destination by Amtrak.
The additional path to Christiansburg could also allow, according to the VRE, extra stops in the Roanoke Valley.
The overall plan could have the first passenger stop coming to the NRV by 2027. In addition to the passenger station, the rail authority and local officials would have to construct a parking area and the overall passenger platforms.
“I am pleased that the VPRA Board of Directors voted to advance an agreement with Norfolk Southern that will ensure passenger rail service arrives in Christiansburg as soon as 2027,” Delegate Chris Obenshain said in a written statement. “When we recognized that the timeframe and cost of the previous plan was not feasible, legislators from across Southwest Virginia reached out to the administration to try and work together to find a better solution. I thank the Governor, the Secretary of Transportation, and the VPRA who took the time to listen to input from those in the New River Valley and beyond regarding the importance and urgency of bringing passenger rail service to our communities.”
“I also appreciate the work of the New River Valley Passenger Rail Initiative for their insight and advocacy,” he continued. “I eagerly look forward to future train trips with my own family originating right here in Montgomery County. I am grateful for all the hard work of my colleagues in the legislature and community leaders to ensure the future viability of rail service to the NRV and further into Southwest Virginia.”
Senator Tim Kaine also expressed his support of the project.
“Great news,” Kaine posted on X. “Starting in 2027, residents of the New River Valley will have access to several Amtrak passenger rail service trains every day. I’ve long supported expanding passenger rail and secured funding to make projects like this possible, bolstering Virginia’s economy.”
