VPRA considering purchase of Norfolk Southern line

From the early 1970’s to the fall of 2009, there was no daily passenger rail service from Charlottesville to points northeast and southwest. 

As fiscal year 2024 draws to a close, there are two Northeast Regional trains traveling through Union Station a day due to increased support from the Commonwealth of Virginia and now the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority. 

Now there are plans for the Commonwealth to own more track and related infrastructure to expand service to Christiansburg, which could include a potential third daily Northeast Regional train. 

“The Virginia Passenger Rail Authority (VPRA) announced [on June 4] that it is in preliminary discussions with Norfolk Southern Corporation to purchase the Manassas Line and to pursue an option to extend passenger rail service to the New River Valley (NRV) on the Norfolk Southern main line (N-Line),” reads a VPRA press release from three weeks ago. 

If the deal goes through, the immediate beneficiary would be Virginia Rail Express which would be given additional windows of operation through state ownership of the track. 

Service in Christiansburg would be at Norfolk Southern’s Cambria Yard which hasn’t been a passenger rail stop since 1979. 

On June 6, VPRA filed a request with the National Surface Transportation Board that a potential purchase would not require their approval. Under the terms of an agreement, Norfolk Southern would retain the right to use the 33.5 half miles of track subject to the transaction. 

Further paperwork in a second filing appears to clear the way for an agreement for a third Northeast Regional train once certain conditions are met.  This includes a study to be conducted by March 31, 2026 which will inform whether sufficient improvements have been made to allow freight and passenger to share the lines. 

Before you go: The time to write and research of this article is covered by paid subscribers to Charlottesville Community Engagement. In fact, this particular installment is from the June 25, 2024 edition of the newsletter. To ensure this research can be sustained, please consider becoming a paid subscriber or contributing monthly through Patreon.