Passenger Trains > VA CSX Deal is Completed.

Agreements to transfer 350 Miles of right of way, and 225 miles of track. The Majority of the track purchased is the Line from Richmond via Doswell to Charlottesville, and Clifton Forge. Considering this has been leased to Buckingham Branch for over 20 years now and has considerible investment from the State Via grants, East to West Service will be coming to Virginia at somepoint. 

https://richmond.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/buttigieg-joins-northam-to-seal-3-7-billion-deal-to-expand-passenger-rail-between-d/article_c7baaa92-632e-5b6a-b595-6c00a7f40f8a.html#tracking-source=home-breaking

Is this something like state of Vermont owning the former Rutland RR with Vermont Railway service using it ? 

Hooray for Virginia.  With ownership of key segments of the railroad, I hope they plan a big future in passenger trains for their state.  Yes, it will require significant long-term investment, but in 10 years, they could be a real economic boost for their state.  Industries looking to locate will be impressed by a modern well-run rail system.  

What goes around comes around.  Most of the line from Richmond to Clifton Forge was built and operated by the Comonwealth in the 1850's.

Bob Wilcox
Charlottesville, VA
My Flickr Shots

joemvcnj Wrote:
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> Is this something like state of Vermont owning the
> former Rutland RR with Vermont Railway service
> using it ? 

Yes.  With the Commonwealth purchasing the line, whomever provides freight service will become a contracted operator.  There will have to be a new agreement drafted as to which parties are responsible for which functions (mainly around who maintains the track and signals) and revenue sharing from freight operations, among many items.  I don't know the particulars of the Commonwealth's contract requirements, but they may have to rebid the freight operations to ensure fair practices.  The Buckingham Branch could be named as an "interim operator" or some such until the freight operating rights are rebid and awarded.  BB may well wind up with the rights, but I can assure you there is no shortage of shortline operators who show up when these contracts are put out to bid.

Mike Derrick
 

The original proposal I read was for the state to purchase ROW in order to build an additional track from Alexandria to Richmond allowing for VRE to run service to Main Street station.  I could be wrong, but I thought CSX still owned their existing main line???  Corrections welcomed.

Why the mismatch between ROW miles and track miles?  Is some of this ROW abandoned?

march_hare Wrote:
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> Why the mismatch between ROW miles and track
> miles?  Is some of this ROW abandoned?

According to the Washington Post: "Virginia will also acquire rights to use the abandoned S-Line from Petersburg[, VA] to Ridgeway, N.C."

Which I assume means that they bought the right-of-way, or at least some of it...

Also not sure if it is actually abandoned or if it just really-really-really Out-of-Service.

See also, https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/29-virginia-csx-deals-impact-will-extend-to-north-carolina/

Plus, this rail map of Virginia might be helpful -- The S-Line more or less follows I-85 south of Petersburg, VA: http://www.drpt.virginia.gov/media/2944/2019-09-24_front-of-rail-map_print-final.pdf

Here's a Google Street View image from Norlina, North Carolina:

 



Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 03/30/21 16:29 by peh934.

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Here is an excerpt from the Virginia Governor's press release that explains in more detail...

A new, Virginia-owned, two-track bridge will be built across the Potomac River adjacent to the CSX freight bridge and will be dedicated to passenger and commuter rail. This partnership will expand service and enhance reliability on Virginia’s rail lines, creating a pathway to separate passenger and freight operations along the Richmond to Washington, D.C. corridor. The new bridge will also reduce congestion and improve fluidity for CSX and its customers. This additional efficiency is expected to translate to increased freight rail, removing an additional one million trucks from Virginia and Washington, D.C. roadways each year.

Beyond the new Long Bridge, Virginia will acquire half of the rail corridor right-of-way from Washington, D.C., to Petersburg, Virginia, the full extent of CSX ownership from Petersburg to Ridgeway, North Carolina, and the entire corridor from Doswell to Clifton Forge. With the exception of Ashland, the right-of-way from Washington, D.C., to Richmond is wide enough to construct a four-track corridor, with two tracks dedicated to passenger rail, and when fully built out will allow separate passenger and freight movement. The CSX agreement also defines the roles and responsibilities of the parties supporting the 10-year build out of the infrastructure improvements.

So, unless Ashland is willing to essentially redesign its downtown, that will replace the Long Bridge as the new chokepoint on this system.
 

This is awesome! Virginia really loves passenger trains and this will be a game changer not only for people making business trips from DC-Richmond, but it will certainly help people heading from the Northeast to the main population centers of North Carolina(Raleigh, Greensboro, and Charlotte). From the Northeast to Raleight and Charlotte, trains that would take the S-Line would save a lot of time over ones that presently take the A Line to Selma-Smithfield and then turn west. While the right of way through Ashland, VA may still be considered a choke point to some people, I don't think it will make much of a difference as it's not like Virginia Railway Express trains will even make it past Spotsylvania. It would be nice someday to see cross Virginia Amtrak trains running on the Buckingham Branch linking the Blue Ridge Region with the Hampton Roads Region. I'm sure that there are residents of Charlottesville who make regular trips to Richmond and Norfolk for business and they would love to be able to take a train if it was direct.

ShortlinesUSA Wrote:
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> So, unless Ashland is willing to essentially
> redesign its downtown, that will replace the Long
> Bridge as the new chokepoint on this system.
>  

Having a passenger station in the middle of the two track segment probably won't help, either.

I hope they hire somebody other than the folks who are building the new platforms and northbound shelter at Ashland to do this new, additional two tracks project.  They've been working on the platform for how many years?  At least two, more likely three.

Very interesting news, thanks for posting.

Posted from iPhone

Passfanatic Wrote:
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 I don't  think it will make much of a difference as it's
> not like Virginia Railway Express trains will even
> make it past Spotsylvania.

My understanding is that one of the main goals is to extend VRE service to/from Richmond.  The I-95 traffic is horrible getting to Richmond from DC and the state is hoping this will help.

Really interesting. How much of the BBRR from Doswell to Clifton Forge is still jointed rail? Last time I rode the Cardinal a few years back some had been replaced with welded and the jointed rail on that long stretch was an interesting outdated feature.

Any idea if the State of Virginia assume ownership and control of the two track segment through Ashland, or will CSXT retain ownership and control?

Thank you in advance.

If all passenger trains between Acca Yard and DC are moved onto two new tracks reserved for passenger trains, I wonder how long it will take CSX to pull up some of the second track on their side.  

Control expectations about running time Richmond-Raleigh. The two-hour-flat scenario would require over $1 billion because the ex-SAL was far too curvy for 110 mph. Nobody has stepped up to that kind of money so far. For only a few hundred million you could restore the ex-SAL in place Raleigh-Petersburg, using the Burgess cutoff, with a top limit of 79 mph. That would get you about 2 hrs 20 mins Raleigh-Petersburg with another 25 minutes or so into Richmond Main St (assuming that segment is improved with a second bridge over the Appomattox, a third track south of Centralia, and 79 mph on the ex-SAL to the James River bridge). Amtrak today runs about 3 hrs Raleigh-Petersburg via Selma. So for the expenditure of a few hundred million, you could shave 40 minutes off the current running time. I believe the incremental approach of restoring the S-line to 79 mph first and then improving it later will be the course taken. 

PRR_4859 Wrote:
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> Any idea if the State of Virginia assume ownership
> and control of the two track segment through
> Ashland, or will CSXT retain ownership and
> control?
>
> Thank you in advance.

Hmm...I aint' sure...I think CSX retains the current freght mains, and Amtrak will own the passenger main and has bought enough right of way to create it.....but maybe they got the whole ball of wax.... 

RFandPFan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Here is an excerpt from the Virginia Governor's
> press release that explains in more detail...
>
> With the exception
> of Ashland, the right-of-way from Washington,
> D.C., to Richmond is wide enough to construct a
> four-track corridor, with two tracks dedicated to
> passenger rail, and when fully built out will
> allow separate passenger and freight movement. The
> CSX agreement also defines the roles and
> responsibilities of the parties supporting the
> 10-year build out of the infrastructure
> improvements.


I’m confused by this statement about a 4 track corridor because from the looks of the map listing the improvements in this link from RailwayAge, it looks like at most there will be new sections of triple track and only quadruple track from the Long Bridge south to a little past Alexandria. That quote from the Gov makes it sound like they will have 4 tracks from D.C. to Richmond, sans the trackage in Ashland.


https://www.railwayage.com/passenger/virginia-amtrak-csx-advance-3-7b-rail-initiative/

CFI_85

Posted from iPhone

I'm still waiting for "shovel ready" projects from 20 years ago to be completed.
So we will see.