CSX, Virginia rail officials OK pact for new VRE station

The Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) and CSX recently executed a final contract amendment that will enable construction of a new Virginia Railway Express (VRE) station in Prince William County, Virginia.

The new station will be a key component of Potomac Shores' emerging town center. Situated on the banks of the Potomac River 30 miles south of Washington, D.C., the 1,920-acre community is being developed by SunCal, a real estate development company that focuses on large-scale, mixed-use master-planned communities. SunCal is sponsoring the new VRE station's construction.

Potomac Shores is a waterfront destination being designed as a transit-oriented development due to its access to the onsite VRE station, according to a SunCal press release.

CSX has been building a third set of tracks from the Arkendale station north to Powells Creek, just north of Potomac Shores, to serve alongside existing CSX track. The Potomac Shores station's design and timing of construction has been planned in coordination with the third-track project.

The final amendment between CSX and DRPT defined what portion of the third-track corridor improvements will be completed in the immediate future, SunCal officials said.

The track project is funded by grants from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and the DRPT.

"The signing of the agreement to identify improvements to be completed in the near future, and the interim condition for the corridor until additional funding becomes available, will allow the Potomac Shores station to move forward; we're very elated," said Andrew Wagner, Potomac Shores' project manager. "This new station will be a huge convenience for residents, allowing them to commute to jobs in Washington and elsewhere, and the station will be easily accessed from our future town center."

Potomac Shores has been working with VRE, CSX, the Commonwealth of Virginia, Prince William County and the U.S. Department of Transportation to coordinate the design and construction of the station, SunCal officials said.

Potomac Shores is contributing nearly $20 million toward the station's cost in partnership with various agencies, they said. Construction of the station's 16,000-square-foot head house will advance later this year.

The head house will serve as the entrance to the boarding levels at the track level below. A two-story design, the facility is planned to offer restaurants, a coffee shop, office space, dry cleaners, outdoor patios and other uses.

Current estimates are that the station will be ready to serve passengers in 2020. CORE architecture + design of Washington, D.C., is designing the station.