Draft:Commonwealth Corridor
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| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Service type | Inter-city rail |
| Status | Proposed |
| Locale | Virginia |
| First service | 2030s-2040 |
| Current operator | Amtrak |
| Website | drpt |
| Route | |
| Termini | Newport News, Virginia Christiansburg, Virginia |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
The Commonwealth Corridor is a proposed east-west inter-city passenger rail service in the U.S. state of Virginia. This project aims to establish a service between Newport News and a new station in the New River Valley. The route will pass through key cities such as Roanoke, Charlottesville, Richmond, and Williamsburg, as well as several universities such as the College of William & Mary and the University of Virginia.[1]
A study conducted by the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation[2] estimated that the project would require $416.5 million in 2030 money for "known infrastructure costs required to initiate passenger service on the Commonwealth Corridor." However, if and when it is completed, it would have a projected annual ridership of 177,200 passengers in 2040.[2][3]
The proposed route has been included in the Federal Railroad Administration’s Corridor Identification and Development Program, which allocated $500,000 towards conducting and preparing the line.[4][5]
To enhance the route and future services, the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority plans to acquire the right of way from Richmond to Charlottesville and from Roanoke to New River Valley.[6]
History
[edit]
The trackage between Charlottesville Union Station and Newport News, Virginia had previously been served by a branch of Amtrak's James Whitcomb Riley, a long-distance train to Chicago.[7] However, due to it not making enough money,[8] the Newport News section of the James Whitcomb Riley was discontinued in 1976,[7] with the train's other branch, to Washington Union Station, becoming the Cardinal the next year.[7]
On January 5, 2018, Virginians for High-Speed Rail, the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC), the Hampton Roads Chamber, and New River Valley Rail 2020 coalition released a report for increased passenger rail service in Virginia,.[9] Later that year, SELC, Virginians for High-Speed Rail, Virginia 21, and the Hampton Roads Chamber and Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce unveiled the Commonwealth Corridor, a proposal for passenger rail from Norfolk and Newport News to Christiansburg. Their report highlighted the environmental and touristic advantages of the new service, as well as other benefits such as servicing universities, jobs, and military bases, relieving traffic, and increasing railroad ridership.[10]
In 2021, as part of the Transforming Rail in Virginia program,[11] the Commonwealth of Virginia bought multiple CSX Transportation lines, including half of the RF&P Subdivision, the out-of-service S-Line, and the Buckingham Branch line between Doswell and Clifton Forge.[12]
In 2022, Governor Glenn Youngkin expressed his full support for the Commonwealth Corridor.[13]
As of 2024, the Virginia Conservation Network estimates that the Commonwealth Corridor could be completed by 2040 if it relied only on state funding, but if $2 billion in federal funding from President Joe Biden's infrastructure bill were assigned to it, then it could open in the 2030s.[14]
In April 2025, Youngkin broke ground on the New River Valley Project, the plan to build a new station at Christiansburg station to serve the New River Valley. The Northeast Regional's current service to Roanoke is scheduled to be extended to Christiansburg in 2027.[15][16][17]
In 2026, the Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition endorsed the plan for the Commonwealth Corridor.[18]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ "Commonwealth Passenger Rail Corridor Among Two Accepted into Federal Funding Program". Williamsburg Yorktown Daily. 9 December 2023. Retrieved 27 September 2026.
- 1 2 "2021 COMMONWEALTH CORRIDOR FEASIBILITY STUDY" (PDF). Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation. January 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2026.
- ↑ Gordon, Wyatt (31 August 2022). "Commentary: A new passenger rail corridor could connect Hampton Roads to Blacksburg and beyond • Virginia Mercury". Virginia Mercury. Retrieved 27 September 2026.
- ↑ Cameron, Susan (8 December 2023). "Plans to expand passenger rail through Southwest Virginia get federal funding for further study". Cardinal News.
- ↑ "Federal Railroad Administration" (PDF). Federal Railroad Administration. Retrieved 27 September 2026.
- ↑ Goodman, Gerica. "Capital Projects – VPRA". vapassengerrailauthority.org. Retrieved 27 September 2026.
- 1 2 3 Sanders, Craig (2006). Amtrak in the Heartland. Indiana University Press. p. 40. ISBN 9780253027931.
- ↑ "Train route connecting Hampton Roads to Charlottesville receives preliminary funding". 13newsnow.com. December 12, 2023. Retrieved 27 September 2026.
Back in the 1970s when Amtrak was first offering passenger rail service, we had a line [i.e., the Riley] from Hampton Roads to Charlottesville. However, it wasn't a money-maker, so it only lasted around 10 years.
- ↑ "Rail Advocates Advance Innovative Vision for Passenger Rail Network - Southern Environmental Law Center". Southern Environmental Law Center.
- ↑ "EXPANDING VIRGINIA'S PASSENGER RAIL - CONNECTING THE BLUE RIDGE TO THE BEACH WITH THE COMMONWEALTH CORRIDOR" (PDF). Southern Environmental Law Center. 2018. Retrieved 28 September 2026.
- ↑ "Transforming Rail in Virginia Program: Expanding Passenger and Freight Rail Services". Kimley-Horn. Retrieved 28 September 2026.
How do you enhance reliability and service on one of the largest railroads in North America? In Virginia, the answer is the Transforming Rail in Virginia program, a rail improvement program that separates passenger and freight operations along the I-95 (Washington, DC to Petersburg, VA), I-64 (Doswell, VA to Clifton Forge, VA), and I-85 (Petersburg, VA to Ridgeway, NC) corridors. The Transforming Rail in Virginia program stems from agreements between the Commonwealth of Virginia, CSX Transportation (CSXT), Norfolk Southern (NS), Buckingham Branch Railroad, Amtrak, and the Virginia Railway Express. The program includes real estate transactions with CSXT and NS that cover a total of more than 350 miles of freight railroad right-of-way (ROW) and 225 miles of track. Capacity improvements—including Long Bridge, a new bridge across the Potomac River with tracks dedicated only to passenger and commuter rail—are planned to total $4.5 billion.
- ↑ Franz, Justin (31 March 2021). "Virginia Buys CSX Lines in Effort to Improve Passenger Service". Railfan & Railroad Magazine. Retrieved 28 September 2026.
- ↑ Lin, Andreana J. "Full Steam Ahead: Expanding Passenger Rail Service Across the State". vcnva.org.
- ↑ Lin, Andreana J. (22 November 2022). "Full Steam Ahead: Expanding Passenger Rail Service Across the State". Virginia Conservation Network. Retrieved 28 September 2026.
- ↑ Woods, Kimberly (24 April 2025). "Governor Glenn Youngkin Breaks Ground on New River Valley Project". Amtrak Media. Retrieved 28 September 2026.
- ↑ Freund, Jason (18 June 2026). "Virginia Passenger Rail Authority provides update on Christiansburg Amtrak rail extension". WSLS. Retrieved 28 September 2026.
- ↑ "New River Valley Project – VPRA". Virginia Passenger Rail Authority. Retrieved 28 September 2026.
- ↑ "A Case For Passenger Rail In The Shenandoah Valley - Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition". Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition. 19 September 2026.