Virginia Passenger Rail Authority, NS in talks for new rail agreement

The Virginia Passenger Rail Authority (VPRA) is in preliminary discussions with Norfolk Southern Railway to purchase the Class I's Manassas Line and to pursue an option to extend passenger-rail service to the New River Valley on an NS main line (N-Line). 

While negotiations are in the early stages, VPRA and NS have established a mutually beneficial framework for both passenger- and freight-rail service, VPRA officials said in a press release.

Purchasing the Manassas Line would give VPRA the flexibility to work with the Virginia Railway Express (VRE) to expand passenger-rail service beyond the VRE's traditional commuting option with northbound trains operating in the morning hours and southbound trains in the afternoon.

After receiving more information on the cost and timeframe for delivering service along the Virginian Line — per a 2022 agreement with NS — VPRA revisited negotiations with NS to find a more cost-effective and timelier alternative on the N-Line, authority officials said. Extending service to the New River Valley via the N-Line would allow VPRA to offer passenger-rail service to NS’s Cambria Yard in Christiansburg, which served rail passengers from 1904 to 1979. It could potentially reduce the cost and accelerate VPRA’s plans to expand passenger-rail service to the area.

Following recent public outreach in the New River Valley, it became clear that service on the N-Line was also the preferred option for constituents there, they said.

VPRA officials will work over the summer to complete an evaluation of the N-Line option and Cambria Yard site. The results of that evaluation and a recommended path forward will be presented to VPRA's board in August.

"We saw the numbers, the timeline, and listened to our stakeholders, and it became clear that if using the N-Line was a possibility, we had to pursue that," said VRPA Executive Director DJ Stadtler. "Norfolk Southern has been a great partner to VPRA as we've worked to reach more Virginians by rail, and we appreciate their efforts in aiding us in this endeavor."

Added NS Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer Mike McClellan: "We look forward to continuing to partner on projects like this that stand to serve the interests of our communities while also balancing the needs of our freight customers and the economy we support."