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Starting today, Amtrak will begin operating trains at 79 mph on Norfolk Southern Railway track in preparation for the start of Amtrak service between Norfolk and Richmond, Va., in December.

The trains, which will not be carrying passengers, will be running on NS tracks between Portlock Yard in Chesapeake and downtown Suffolk, and between downtown Suffolk and Petersburg. Train speeds through downtown Suffolk will increase from 40 mph to 60 mph in summer 2013, NS officials said in a prepared statement, adding that freight trains will continue to operate at the current maximum speed of 60 mph.

The operation will serve as a training exercise for locomotive engineers and conductors to learn the track and territory, Amtrak officials said. The trains will operate twice daily, Monday through Saturday.

Track and warning signals have been improved to accommodate the higher train speeds.