A 6.82-acre site for a proposed passenger rail station near the Christiansburg Aquatic Center sits undeveloped.
By Marty Gordon
Plans to bring Amtrak service to the area took a hit this past week and could now be derailed at least temporarily.
Local leaders had formed a group called “New River Valley Passenger Rail 2020” with hopes of having passenger service here in the New River Valley later this year.
While Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said there is a need for the service through Southwest Virginia, his main concern now is adding a primary passenger bridge from central Virginia into the northern part of the state. Earlier, he announced an ongoing agreement with Amtrak to fund such a project. He would not pinpoint plans for the passenger service to be expanded.
The New River Valley group remains optimistic but does not have a new timetable. Already, a requested study by Virginia rail officials had been brushed aside by Norfolk Southern, which must agree to share the rail line with Amtrak. The study would determine how much money would be needed to upgrade the line to allow for travel for the much higher speed of Amtrak’s trains.
Spokesman Larry Hincker said the local group’s bottom line has not changed.
“We know that there is strong demand for the service based on the survey conducted by the regional commission,” Hincker said Monday. ”We believe that a significant portion of the Roanoke boardings come from the New River Valley and that Roanoke has had the largest year-over-year increase in boardings in Virginia. Those are all positive signs. So we remain hopeful.”
The city of Bristol recently released its own findings that forecast annual ridership for Christiansburg to be 40,200 with hopes the passenger service could stretch deep into Southwest Virginia. A Bristol stop would generate annual ridership of 23,600. Currently, a stop in Roanoke is averaging 97,600 riders per year.
The Bristol study was a joint effort with the Virginia Tobacco Regional Commission, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Appalachian Regional Commission and the city of Bristol.
New River Valley Leaders had hoped passenger rail service could start by 2020, but the overall project has come to a screeching halt with no new start time.
The town of Christiansburg has purchased property near the aquatic center that would provide land for either a platform or station. The five parcels total 6.82 acres with most of the land lying to the south of the current double tracks.
Initially, the Virginia General Assembly approved $350,000 for a study to determine what improvements are needed to the current freight line in Southwest Virginia. The study requires the cooperation of Norfolk and Western, but so far that has not happened.
The train station would be owned regionally by localities throughout the New River Valley, and early estimates say the facility would cost an estimated $4 million. The exact location was chosen three years ago.
Passenger service was initially stopped in the area in the mid-60s, but Norfolk Southern continued its own version till 1979 when it was completely stopped.
The next move might not be in the local group’s hands. Instead, Hincker said that any communications with Norfolk Southern and/or Amtrak is the responsibility of the Virginia Department of Transportation.
