Ground broken in Christiansburg for New River Valley Station

The last passenger train left Christiansburg in 1979. For many years, planning has been underway to restore service. The Commonwealth of Virginia begin investing in passenger rail service in the 2000’s.

In 2009, the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation began a three-year pilot of funding of Amtrak trains including daily service between Lynchburg and D.C. which launched in October of that year.

The extension of the Northeast Regional service proved to be popular and service was extended to Roanoke several years later. For many years work has been underway to head further into southwest Virginia by expanding to the New River Valley. A ceremony was held on May 6, 2021 for a signing of legislation to create an authority to build the required train station.

“Over the [past] 12 years, so much has changed,” said Shannon Valentine, Virginia’s Secretary of Transportation under Governor Ralph Northam. “Virginia sponsored rail has grown from one route to four, one train to six round-trips, [and yearly] ridership from 125,000 to 971,000.”

In December 2019, Governor Northam announced the creation of the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority and a $3.7 billion investment. According to a story I wrote four years ago that included:

• A $1.9 billion bridge over the Potomac River dedicated to passenger rail. Long Bridge is now in the early stages of construction.
• Public purchase of 223 miles of track and 386 miles of right of way from CSX. This includes the line between Clifton Forge and Doswell
• $1 billion in related infrastructure improvements in Virginia

Ridership continued to increase as announced by the VPRA last year as I reported.

“With a total of 118,474 passengers traveling, April 2024 beat April 2023 by 9.8 percent,” reads an information press release sent out last May 31. “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.”

This morning a delegation from across Virginia descended on Christiansburg to break ground on the train station.

“I look forward to all that this station will do to support and grow such an important region of the Commonwealth,” said Governor Glenn Youngkin in an information release.

A deal was finalized last September between the VPRA and Norfolk Southern in which the state agency will purchase the Manassas line from the private company. That also will allow the passenger train to operate on track known as the N-Line.

“By expanding service from Roanoke to Christiansburg on the N-Line, VPRA will use existing infrastructure with a focus on developing a station stop at the Cambria site which previously served the community from 1904 to 1979,” reads an information release sent out at 10:48 a.m. this morning.

The estimated cost to extend passenger service to Christiansburg and the New River Valley is $264.5 million. Service is expected to begin in 2027 with two daily round-trips between Christiansburg and D.C. That will be a journey of just under six hours.

The quotes provided in the press release show bipartisan support for passenger rail.

“I was proud to extend passenger rail service to Lynchburg as Governor, support the expansion of service to Roanoke early in my Senate tenure and secure federal funds for the platform study that landed on the location for this extension to Christiansburg to make travel more convenient and consistent across Virginia,” said Senator Tim Kaine.

“Passenger rail creates greater potential for sustained economic growth, facilitates job creation and provides an efficient, affordable travel alternative to riding on the crowded interstate highway system,” said Ninth District Congressman Morgan Griffith. “Today’s groundbreaking announcement means that the New River Valley will reap tremendous benefits and more. Extension of passenger rail to the New River Valley is an encouraging sign of things to come.”

More information about the future station can be found on the VPRA’s page on the New River Valley project.

Top photo: A rendering of the train station site. Visit the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority website for more information. (Credit: Virginia Passenger Rail Authority)

Before you go: This story originally went out in the April 24 edition of the Charlottesville Community Engagement newsletter. This is a production of a Town Crier, as opposed to Town Criers, so it takes a bit to get to everything. If you want to increase the chance of plurality, support the info!