Plans to bring Amtrak to the New River Valley made headway Tuesday, as the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority’s Board of Directors voted to move forward on negotiations with Norfolk Southern. If signed, the deal would bring passenger rail to the New River Valley by the end of 2027.
Previous plans to bring Amtrak to a new station near the Christiansburg mall hit a roadblock over the cost and time it would take to upgrade a large tunnel.
Compared with previous plans, this new deal would save over $100 million, says D.J. Stadtler, executive director for VPRA. “It’ll get us there for a lower price. It will get us there faster,” Stadtler said.
Stadtler explained this plan would extend Amtrak passenger rail service beyond Roanoke to the Cambria station in Christiansburg. This station previously was a passenger rail station from the early 1900s until 1979.
Norfolk Southern would be responsible for building a raised platform and a parking lot at the Christiansburg station. It would also build a facility in Radford for train maintenance and for the crew to rest during layovers.
Even though it isn’t part of this plan, this route to Cambria and having the layover facility in Radford opens up the possibility of eventually bringing passenger rail on to Radford, or even Bristol.
“When there’s a layover facility, there will likely be demand for service extension, and we’d be naïve to think that was not part of the next discussion,” Stadtler said. “We’ve got to get to Christiansburg first. And if there is desire and funding to go further southwest, this allows that on a much easier basis.”
As part of the agreement VPRA is negotiating, the agency would also purchase the Manassas line, in northern Virginia. This could allow more flexibility to open this route up to evening and weekend commuter service.
In a press release, VPRA said they hope to close the deal with Norfolk Southern in early September.
