Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation seeks input on next statewide plan

The agency that oversees mass transportation in the Commonwealth of Virginia has launched a survey to get input on what should be a focus in the next several years.

“Your responses will help guide the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) to develop a 2026 Virginia Statewide Rail Plan that is responsive to the needs and priorities of passengers and communities across Virginia,” reads the introduction to the survey.

The DRPT last updated a rail plan in 2022 which can be viewed here if you’d like some background information first. Chapter 2 of the plan describes what had changed since 2018, including an announcement in December 2019 that Virginia would invest $3.7 billion in rail as an alternative to another widening of Interstate 95.

For instance, Virginia owned no railroad tracks or easements in 2018 but by 2022 had purchased 193 existing miles and another 220 miles of right of way.

Chapter 3 of the 2022 plan lists many projects expected to get underway within the document’s horizon. That includes the construction of Long Bridge, extension of passenger service to Christiansburg, and additional acquisition of railway lines.

In 2021, the Virginia General Assembly established the New River Valley Station Authority to renovate a former passenger station at Norfolk Southern’s Cambria Yard. This station will have a high-level platform for service that could start as early as 2027.

For more information about the plan, take a look at a story I wrote in October 2025 about preparations for this update.

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