Eastern Railroad Discussion > CSXT cutting in 3rd track in DC and northern VA

VRE "Train Talk"
Planned Service Disruption - [scheduled for] Friday, May 30
May 9, 2008 10:41 AM NEWS BLURB FROM Virginia Railway Express

The following is in this edition of Train Talk:
---I Heard Something About This. What Exactly is Going On?
---Fredericksburg Line Trains
---Manassas Line Trains
---Where Is the Signal Suspension?
---When Is This Happening?
---Why Does This Need to Be Done?
---How About Changing it to the Weekend Before?
---Final Thoughts

I Heard Something About This. What Exactly is Going On?

On Friday, May 30, all VRE trains will be affected by a CSX signal suspension associated with the installation of a third track between the Potomac River and Alexandria. Because of the location, both lines will be affected. In order to keep delays to a minimum, we have devised the following service plan.

There's a lot here. Please take the time to read it thoroughly so you know what to expect on Friday, May 30.

Fredericksburg Line Trains [CSX]

All morning Fredericksburg Line trains will terminate at Franconia/Springfield. From there you can use Metrorail to continue your commute. Just show your VRE ticket to the Metro attendant when entering and exiting the Metrorail system.

All evening Fredericksburg Line trains will originate at Franconia/Springfield and will depart at the regularly scheduled departure times for that station. Simply take Metro from the station closest to your work and ride to the Franconia/Springfield Metro Station. Again, just show your VRE ticket to the Metro attendant when entering and exiting the Metrorail.

Train #311 (normally departing Union Station at 6:00p) will be cancelled that day.

Manassas Line Trains [NS]

All morning Manassas Line trains will terminate at a temporary station area near the Van Dorn Street Metro Station (just north of our Backlick Road station). From there, you will have the option of walking or using DASH shuttle buses to the Metro station to continue your commute. Just show your VRE ticket to the Metro attendant when entering and exiting the Metrorail system.

All evening Manassas Line trains will originate near the Van Dorn Street Metro Station. Simply take Metro from the station closest to your work and ride to the Van Dorn Street Metro Station. Again, just show your VRE ticket to the Metro attendant when entering and exiting the Metrorail. Once there, you will have the option of walking or using DASH shuttle buses to reach the VRE train.

All Manassas Line reverse flow trains (#321, #336, and #338) will be cancelled on May 30.

Where Is the Signal Suspension?

The signal suspension will cover the area south of Alexandria where both lines meet to LâEnfant. A third track is being added between the Potomac River Bridge and Alexandria. With the exception of the Long Bridge over the Potomac, this will create a triple track railroad from LâEnfant to just south of Alexandria.

When Is This Happening?

The signal suspension will occur after evening service on Thursday, May 29 and go through Sunday, June 1. VRE Service will be affected the entire day of Friday, May 30.

Why Does This Need to Be Done?

CSX will perform a signal suspension to test the new signal system. During this time, only one train at a time is permitted within a specific area, or a block. Before entering a block, trains must wait for dispatcher permission to move. Once the previous train has exited the block, the next one can proceed. This causes significant congestion, especially in an area where our trains operate within 10-15 minutes of each other. Rather than subject our riders to these significant delays, we opted for this change in service.

How About Changing it to the Weekend Before?

We know that Memorial Day Weekend would have been more ideal for our riders. Unfortunately, it was determined that all of the necessary pieces would not be in place in time for the signal suspension to be moved up one weekend.

Final Thoughts

We appreciate your patience and understanding during this planned disruption. In conjunction with CSX and the Commonwealth of Virginia, VRE has been working towards increasing the capacity of the rails we operate on. Over the last several years, this has included additional interlockings (places where trains can switch tracks), an additional bridge over Quantico Creek, and a third track in the area of our LâEnfant station. With the completion of this project, another piece of the puzzle is being added. We believe that these growing pains will be worthwhile.

Have questions? Visit our website for more details.
http://www.vre.org.

Quoting a bit from VRE "Train Talk"

> The signal suspension will cover the area south of
> Alexandria where both lines meet to L'Enfant. A
> third track is being added between the Potomac
> River Bridge and Alexandria. With the exception of
> the Long Bridge over the Potomac, this will create
> a triple track railroad from LâEnfant to just
> south of Alexandria.

Now all they need is to triple track the line across the Potomac River!

Building a new bridge across the Potomac, alongside the Long Bridge (which would be retained as-is), has been studied. The cost is very high (>$100M). I'm not sure, but the current double track limitation may extend some distance north of the Long Bridge (such as the bridge over Ohio Drive).