in 2020, the next planned extension of passenger rail in Virginia was to Christiansburg/Blacksburg
Source: Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, Virginia's Rail Network (2020)
in 2020, the next planned extension of passenger rail in Virginia was to Christiansburg/Blacksburg
Source: Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, Virginia's Rail Network (2020)
In 2017 the General Assembly authorized the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation to complete a study to expand passenger rail line service to the New River Valley.
the first budget for the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority, established in 2020, included funding for expansion to New River Valley
Source: Virginia Passenger Rail Authority, Virginia Passenger Rail Authority Operating Budget (2020 Powerpoint)
There was an obvious demand for transportation alternatives to driving cars on overcrowded I-81. The Virginia Breeze bus service between Blacksburg and Washington, DC had been predicted to carry 7,000 riders annually, but there were 29,000 riders in 2019. The Roanoke Times reported in 2020:1
a wide range of government and non-government organizations partnered to bring passenger rail to the New River Valley
Source: New River Valley Passenger Rail, Who We Are
The City of Radford, Montgomery and Pulaski counties, and the towns of Blacksburg, Christiansburg, and Pulaski joined the New River Valley Passenger Rail Station Authority. The New River Valley Regional Commission had completed a study in 2016 that identified multiple sites in Christiansburg and Radford for a new a train station.
Christiansburg acquired eight acres of land for a train station, even as the former train station site at Radford remained a logical alternative. In the end, the Blacksburg/Christiansburg area rather than Radford was chosen as the destination for expanding passenger rail south of Norfolk. An official with the New River Valley Passenger Rail group listed "Next Stop: Christiansburg" on its website, and noted regarding Radford:2
multiple locations for a train station in the New River Valley were identified in a 2016 study
Source: New River Valley Regional Commission, New River Valley Passenger Rail Study (p.5)
In 2021, Governor Northam announced a deal for the state to purchase over 28 miles of track and right-of-way from Norfolk Southern between Roanoke and Christiansburg, specifically between Salem Crossovers-Merrimac. The governor also announced plans to add a second train to the District of Columbia-Roanoke route, with service to be extended to Christiansburg in 2025 after a new station was completed there.
In 2021, using just the data from studies already completed by organizations within the New River Valley, Governor Northam proposed a 2021 budget amendment that committed $50 million to acquire right-of-way and negotiate a deal with Norfolk Southern to facilitate extension of passenger rail from Roanoke to Christiansburg. Subsequent efforts by the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation were designed to implement the governor's decision, rather than study if there was sufficient justification to extend Amtrak service to the New River Valley.
There were two tracks through the New River Valley which could be used for an Amtrak station. The track through the town of Christiansburg used the route chosen by the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad in the 1850's, which later became part of the Norfolk and Western Railway and then Norfolk Southern. That track was still an active freight line.
A separate set of tracks had been built north of Christiansburg later, by the rival Virginian Railway. That track paralleled the Norfolk and Western track, passing through the Merrimac Tunnel.
the option of locating a station on the old Norfolk and Western Railway track was dropped after the state decided to acquire 28 miles of the old Virginian Railway track
Source: Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT), New River Valley Passenger Rail Station Feasibility Study (February/March, 2022)
Closure of coal-fired power plants in Virginia, and reduced worldwide demand in response to climate change concerns, had reduced the number of "coal drags" going from West Virginia to Norfolk. Reduced traffic and more efficient "precision railroad" operations made the Virginian Railway track unnecessary, so the Norfolk Southern was willing to sell 28 miles of it to the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority.
By the end of 2021, the New River Valley Passenger Rail Station Feasibility Study had identified four possible locations for a new train station on the old route of the Virginian Railway which the state had acquired. A fifth option, North Franklin East, was eliminated because it was located on the track still getting heavy use by the Norfolk Southern for its freight trains. Norfolk Southern was unwilling to sell that track to the state.
the original Christiansburg location (red circle) was dropped when the state purchased the old Virginian Railway track (green), but a connection (yellow) to the Uptown Christiansburg mall was possible
Source: ESRI, ArcGIS Online
The Town of Christiansburg previously had purchased land for the potential station at North Franklin East, on the old Virginia and Tennessee Railroad/Norfolk and Western Railway track. was on the primary track for Norfolk Southern to continue to haul coal and other freight. The town's investment in that property was not wasted. There was always a fallback plan to use the property to expand parking at the adjacent Christiansburg Aquatic Center on North Franklin Street.
in 2021, the New River Valley Passenger Rail Station Feasibility Study identified four locations for studying construction of a new train station while eliminating the North Franklin East option
Source: Virginia Passenger Rail Authority, New River Valley Passenger Rail Station Fact Sheet (February 2022)
The feasibility study identified locations on the old Virginian line where track design would accommodate a station. Most were distant from where a station would facilitate transit-oriented development, and required expensive improvements to access roads.
In 2022, further study of the sites at Ellet and Merrimac were dropped. They would have been more costly to construct, and were isolated from existing development.
the Ellett and Merrimac options were eliminated in early 2022
Source: Virginia Passenger Rail Authority, New River Valley Passenger Rail Station
the Ellett site would have required extensive investment in upgrading the access roads
Source: Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT), New River Valley Passenger Rail Station Feasibility Study (February/March, 2022)
topography at the Merrimac site would have required placing the parking relatively far from the station
Source: Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT), New River Valley Passenger Rail Station Feasibility Study (February/March, 2022)
Two sites near the Uptown Christiansburg mall were selected as the preferred options. They required building a spur track to connect to the Virginian line. Excavation to build the 3,000' long connector track would require moving 600,000 cubic yards of material, requiring 62,000 dump truck trips.
both sites near the Uptown Christiansburg mall required building a new spur to the track purchased by the state of Virginia
Source: Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT), New River Valley Passenger Rail Station Feasibility Study (February/March, 2022)
two sites near the Uptown Christiansburg mall were the finalists for the new station location
Source: Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT), New River Valley Passenger Rail Station Feasibility Study (February/March, 2022)
The purchase of 28 miles of Northern Southern track between Roanoke and Christiansburg was part of the $257 million Western Rail Initiative, which was part of the statewide $3.7 billion Transforming Rail in Virginia initiative. The Western Rail Initiative also included improvements far to the north. Adding a seven mile siding from Nokesville to Calverton was needed to create a continuous two-track corridor between Manassas and Remington, speeding the movement of trains between Christiansburg-Washington.
Governor Northam noted:3
extending Amtrak service to Christiansburg included upgrades to the track as far north as Manassas
Source: Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, Transforming Rail in Virginia
In 2022, the Virginia Rail Policy Institute suggested a Christiansburg station at the Uptown Christiansburg Mall (formerly the New River Valley Mall) for a new Amtrak station was not sufficient. The advocacy group proposed adding an Amtrak stop on the Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg and the Carilion School of Medicine in Roanoke, plus a station in Radford as well as in Christiansburg:4
The draft 2022 State Rail Plan proposed opening the New River Valley passenger rail station in 2027. It also made clear that further extension to Bristol was anticipated, once Tennessee identified how it would connect Bristol to Knoxville and Chattanooga.
The Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation found that extending Amtrak passenger service to Bristol would serve 15,500 passengers a year, at a cost of up to $1.5 billion. The low benefit-cost ratio did not reflect traffic which would continue into Tennessee, or the projection that four million visitors would go to the Hard Rock Casino Bristol each year after the $500,000,000 facility opened in 2024.5
In 2023, the US Department of Transportation awarded a $500,000 grant to help plan the extension of passenger rail to Bristol. Inclusion of the "Western Corridor" between Washington, DC-Bristol in the Federal Railroad Administration's Corridor Identification and Development Program enhanced the potential for future funding.6
Using the Virginian Railway track purchased by the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority to reach a station in Christiansburg would require using the Merrimac Tunnel. Rehabilitating that mile-long tunnel so it would be safe for passenger trains would add $500 million in costs.
Upgrades to meet fire and evacuation standards, in case of a problem where a passenger train was trapped in the Merrimac Tunnel, included:
- adding three ventilation fan banks
- extending width of tunnel to accommodate emergency egress walkways at track level
- excavating one 15-story and one 20-story vertical shaft from surface to track level to allow for emergency egress and first responder access
the Virginian Railway built the mile-long Merrimac Tunnel to cross the Eastern Continental Divide
Source: Virginia Passenger Rail Authority (VPRA), New River Valley Update (VPRA Board Meeting, January 2024); ESRI, ArcGIS Online
if the Virginian Railway route was used to reach Christiansburg, a Cinnebar Road station avoiding Merrimac Tunnel could save $500 million in construction costs
Source: Virginia Passenger Rail Authority (VPRA), New River Valley Update (VPRA Board Meeting, January 2024)
The alternative, still using the Virginian line so passenger trains would not interfere with busy freight traffic, was to build a new passenger station further east at Cinnabar Road and US 460 rather than west of US 460 near the Uptown Christiansburg Mall. The Cinnabar Road option would eliminate use of the Merrimac Tunnel, at least to reach Christiansburg.
Advocates to extending passenger rail south to Bristol were alarmed by the possibility that tunnel rehabilitation costs would be avoided in the process of extending Amtrak to Christiansburg. The tunnel costs would then be assigned exclusively to the Bristol extension. The extra $500 million would reduce the cost-effectiveness and potentially kill the extension of Amtrak service to Bristol and into Tennessee.
The debate regarding on the New River Valley station location, and its impact on a future extension to Bristol, delayed the plan to start service to Christiansburg until 2028. The demand for service was clear. Ridership from Roanoke grew from 143,000 in 2021 to 332,000 in 2023. An advocate for Bristol, 115 miles away, stated:7
two sites proposed near the Uptown Christiansburg Mall were projected in 2022 to be less expensive to develop than the Ellett and Merrimac sites
Source: Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT), New River Valley Passenger Rail Station Feasibility Study (February/March, 2022)
The problem was solved by changing the location of the New River Valley station to the main line ("N-line") of Norfolk Southern. The new site was at the old Cambria railyard in Christiansburg, which had been used between 1904-1979. The 1869 railroad depot at Cambria and a second station built in 1904 could be utilized.
Plans to use the former Virginian Railway track through the Merrimac Tunnel were dropped. That eliminated the need for a cost-prohibitive safety upgrade. Locating the new Amtrak stop on the main line in Christiansburg, for the first time since Amtrak discontinued the Hilltopper train in 1979, facilitated future extension of passenger rail service to Tennessee. A new Amtrak station located at New River Valley Mall would have worked well for Blacksburg/Christiansburg, but not for Bristol.
As described by one member of the New River Valley Passenger Rail Initiative:8
Amtrak stopped using the Cambria Yard in 1979
Source: US Geological Survey (USGS), Blacksbug VA 1:48,000 topographic quadrangle (1932); ESRI, ArcGIS Online
Norfolk Southern and the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority renegotiated their Transform Rail in Virginia deal to sell the track through the Ellett Valley to the state. The state agency was no longer obligated to pay $38.2 million for a 28-mile segment of track which was not feasible to use. As part of the revised package, the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority agreed to purchase the Manassas Line in Northern Virginia, between the Broad Run station of Virginia Railway Express (VRE) and Alexandria. That stretch of track had become a dead-end stub for the railroad after closure of Potomac Yard in 1982.9
In August 2024, the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority board chose to spend almost $600 million to bring passenger rail service to the Cambria train station in Christiansburg by 2027. Using the N-Line, the main freight route of Norfolk Southern going south to Bristol, was expected to allow Amtrak to start service a year earlier.
Norfolk Southern agreed to build the platform and pocket track, plus a layover facility for parking trains in Radford. The railroad will transfer those assets, once completed, to the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority. A newly-created New River Valley Passenger Station Authority will manage the station.
Norfolk Southern agreed to build the new platform and track required for a passenger rail stop at Cambria in Christiansburg
Source: Virginia Passenger Rail Authority (VPRA), Norfolk Southern-VPRA
Transaction Update (August 27, 2024)
The revised arrangement was estimated to cost $100 million less than the previously-studied alternatives with a passenger platform at or near New River Valley Mall, which required using the old Virginia Railway track (the V-Line) and the Merrimac Tunnel.
The deal included the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority purchase of the stretch of Norfolk Southern track between Manassas and Alexandria and Seminary Yard, plus selling V-Line back to Norfolk Southern. Norfolk Southern received tax benefits from a like-kind exchange of track, and would no longer be burdened by expenses to maintain nearly 24 miles of track in Northern Virginia which generated minimal revenue.
Norfolk Southern, Virginia Passenger Rail Authority, and Virginia Rail Authority all benefitted from the final deal
Source: Virginia Passenger Rail Authority (VPRA), Norfolk Southern-VPRA
Transaction Update (August 27, 2024)
There were offsets to the $600 million cost, bring the overall estimate to provide passenger rail service to the New River Valley down to about $450 million. In addition to selling the V-Line back to the private railroad, the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority will also receive new revenue from the Virginia Railway Express (VRE). That Northern Virginia commuter railroad will pay $155 million for use of the Manassas-Alexandria track, enabling night and weekend passenger service outside of traditional commuting hours.
Passenger service was planned intially only to the Cambria station in Christiansburg, but Bedford and Radford were seeking Amtrak stops as well. Having trains travel empty from Christiansburg to the layover facility in Radford for overnight storage, right next to Radford University and the city's downtown, was clearly going to generate requests for an additional stop.
The Executive Director of the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority said Radford sevice was under consideration:10
after Christiansburg/Blacksburg, passenger rail extensions were planned to Bristol, Raleigh (NC), and creation of east-west routes from Richmond
Source: Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, Virginia's Rail Network (2020)
after stretching to Blacksburg, the next extension of Amtrak service was to Christiansburg
Source: Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT), New River Valley Passenger Rail Station Feasibility Study (February/March, 2022)