The Virginia Passenger Rail Authority (VPRA), the Virginia Railway Express (VRE), Amtrak, CSX and the city of Alexandria recently held a ground breaking ceremony for a portfolio of projects that will improve and expand passenger rail service in Alexandria and Northern Virginia.
“Today’s groundbreaking signifies the beginning of what will be a complete transformation of the rail corridor through Old Town Alexandria,” DJ Stadtler, VPRA executive director, said. “By working with our partners, Amtrak, VRE, CSX, and the city of Alexandria, we have been able to develop a plan that combines a number of projects to benefit not just rail passengers but the local community as well. The upcoming construction footprint will be significant, but the outcome will be evolutionary and will benefit the community for decades to come.”
The projects support VPRA’s Transforming Rail in Virginia (TRV) initiative and coincide with TRV’s Long Bridge Project, targeted for completion in 2030. The initiative aims to expand and improve rail service by separating passenger and freight trains.
The projects will use the existing rail corridor, and VPRA and its partners will build infrastructure to accommodate additional trains. Once completed, the number of state-supported Amtrak Virginia daily roundtrips will increase from eight to 13.