Marty Gordon
NRVsports@ourvalley.org
Groundbreaking occurred in 2025 for the $264.5 million New River Valley Rail Project, a major step towards connecting the region to Washington D.C. by 2027.
In April, Governor Glenn Youngkin joined local and rail officials to break ground for a new stop in Cambria.
As part of the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority’s (VPRA) Transforming Rail in Virginia (TRV) initiative, the New River Valley Project encompasses railroad infrastructure upgrades that will allow VPRA to extend its Amtrak Virginia service from Roanoke to Christiansburg and return passenger rail service to the New River Valley for the first time since 1979.
According to a spokesperson from Virginia Passenger Rail Authority, at Cambria, the project will include laying a new platform track that will also serve as the Norfolk Southern Maintenance of Way track.
“At Radford, we are laying the new layover tracks. It’s difficult to determine the exact amount of that part of the project as rail would include ballast, switches, turnouts, and other infrastructure,” said Karina Romero.
The next phase is expected to take up to two years with renovations to both the former station and the rail line itself to include upgrades, leading to the station and Radford.
Christiansburg Mayor Michael Barber said the service has been a long time coming.
“This rail service will bring people Christiansburg and the entire New River Valley.” Barber said this will help with job growth and attract new visitors that will benefit the local economy.
Youngkin said the event was monumental for the future of passenger rail in the Commonwealth.
The New River Valley Project includes: a new station platform with canopy; parking lot and access roads; track improvements and updated signaling system; and an Amtrak layover facility in nearby Radford.
The extension of service to Christiansburg will be via Norfolk Southern’s main line (N-Line), the result of an agreement between VPRA and Norfolk Southern completed last September through which VPRA purchased the Manassas Line and gained access to the N-Line. By expanding service from Roanoke to Christiansburg on the N-Line, VPRA will use existing infrastructure with a focus on developing a station stop at the Cambria site which previously served the community from 1904 to 1979. The project will also enhance Norfolk Southern’s freight service through the area.
The estimated cost of VPRA’s New River Valley Project is $264.5 million. Preliminary construction began in late February 2025 with full construction commencing this spring. Amtrak’s Virginia service is expected to begin in 2027 with two daily roundtrips between Christiansburg and Washington, DC, with stops in Roanoke, Lynchburg, Charlottesville, Culpeper, Manassas, Burke Centre, and Alexandria. Trip times are estimated to be 50 minutes between Christiansburg and Roanoke and just under six hours between Christiansburg and Washington, DC. From Washington, the service will continue on Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor to Philadelphia, New York, Boston and points in-between.
Mountain Valley Pipeline
The next top story for our region dealt with the official opening of the Mountain Valley Pipeline. After almost 10 years of battle that labeled the pipeline as “controversial,” the gas started flowing along a 303-mile interstate natural gas transmission path that spans from Wetzel County, West Virginia, to Pittsylvania County, Virginia. It entered operation in June 2024 and achieved its full operational capacity of two billion cubic feet of natural gas per day (Bcf/d) in January.
Now the company is looking to add a compression station. The facility would be located on land currently owned by the company near Elliston. In a statement, MVP said the pipeline reached full capacity earlier this year and the compressor project would increase capacity by 25 percent. The company currently has three other compression stations, located in Wetzel County (WVA), Braxton County (WVA) and Fayette County (WVA). The Swann Compressor Station would be built on land owned by Mountain Valley at 6684 Cove Hollow Road, Elliston. The station would be driven by turbine engines powered by natural gas and utilize a fraction of the gas coming through the station from the pipeline as fuel and will compress the remainder for transport and delivery.
Missing chemical totes
The search for missing chemical tubs from the Radford Army Ammunition Plant continued throughout the year. In September, officials from the Radford Army Ammunition Plant say three totes of Dibutyl Phthalate, a chemical used in the manufacturer of propellant at the factory, are still missing.
The totes were swept out of a warehouse near the New River during 2024 floodwaters associated with Hurricane Helene. Over the past year, 10 have been recovered, while search efforts continue for the remaining three.
Radford Army Ammunition Plant leadership held a virtual media roundtable offering journalists across Virginia direct access to military and environmental officials overseeing the facility’s operations.
Rob Davie, Deputy to the commander, said there are lingering impacts of Hurricane Helene in 2024, and the amount or rate of storm had an unbelievable rate of flow.
“The water flowing through the warehouse was the equivalent of what goes over Niagara Falls in one second, and that was happening over and over. It was a massive amount of water and a very small amount of chemicals,” Davie said. “We have already removed all material out of the warehouses to prevent future incidents during flooding.”
The problem associated with the rising water has left debris up and down the river as far away as 20 miles northward from the plant. It is expected the remaining totes could be buried underneath some of that debris.
A local company, Tangent Outfitters, began both a ground and water search on Dec. 27, and used aerial assets, boats and employees on foot. They searched a 70-mile area from Radford to the Blue Stone Dam.
DBP is a liquid placticizer found in nail polish and hair spray, which was being stored in Area 13 of the facility.
To deal with any future floods, as many as seven warehouses are being located at the plant.
The project will relocate seven Operating Contractor warehouses (Buildings 4934-1, 9387-2, 9387-3, 530, 531, 532, and 533) and one Tenant warehouse (Building 9387-1) outside of the floodplain and into new facilities.
In addition, Davie said many other upgrades are being executed through BAE because of the floodwaters. “These projects will address a number of equipment repairs and upgrades required as a result of the flood,” he said.
An estimated 1,575 gallons of Dibutyl Phthalate was released into the floodwaters.
If totes are found in areas downstream of the plant, RAAP officials ask the public to contact the nonemergency line of your respective county’s sheriff’s department, providing contact information.
Labeling on the totes may include the product, Dibutyl Phthalate, or the manufacturer, Island Pyrochemicals. It is possible the white internal container may be separated from the aluminum cage and pallet.
Wingfield retires
The town of Christiansburg will see a change in leadership as town manager Randy Wingfield, who announced his retirement after more than 27 years of service in Christiansburg. Dr. Kim Eagle, who most recently served as County Manager for Gaston County, North Carolina, has been chosen as the new town manager.
Christiansburg Town Council chose Eagle “following an extensive search for a visionary and experienced leader to guide the community into its next chapter of growth and innovation,” according to the announcement by the Town of Christiansburg.
Economic news
The NRV experienced mixed economic news with some areas seeing the state’s highest jobless rates due to federal policy shifts, while the region gained recognition as a top talent attraction community.
The region was ranked among the Top 25 Best Performing Small Cities in the U.S. Red Rooster was named a 2025 Top 100 Community Champion by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Additionally, Prestar Packaging won the “Coolest Thing Made in Virginia” Award at the 2025 Virginia Manufacturing Cup.
Prestar Packaging is a small, family-owned Christiansburg company specializing in all types of rigid setup boxes and the manufacturing of several unique gift card packaging solutions.
Prestar’s flagship product, the pop-up gift card box, was up against major brands such as Little Debbie, Smithfield, and a nuclear-powered submarine in the Coolest Thing Made in Virginia category. The pop-up gift card box also won gold in the Print Publishing & Paper Products competition.
In addition, over 100 NRV businesses were recognized in Virginia Living’s annual awards, with top spots going to local favorites The Farmhouse and Cabo Fish Taco restaurants.
Also, Virginia Tech launched “Virginia Tech MADE,” a center for advanced manufacturing, and partnered with Aclara Technologies to build a pilot plant in the university’s Corporate Research Center.
The facility will process heavy rare earth elements which are essential for making powerful magnets used in electric vehicles, wind turbines, and many high-tech devices.
The pilot plant will combine Virginia Tech’s research and talent development with Aclara’s extraction and processing expertise of heavy rare earth elements. Materials from one of Aclara’s rare earth projects in South America will provide a sustainable supply for the Blacksburg facility, ensuring a reliable source of these valuable metals for U.S. technology and industry.
With the launch of Virginia Tech Made: The Center for Advanced Manufacturing, the university welds its mission to shape the future of the field with its commitment to train the workforce to lead it.
Housed within the Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science, Virginia Tech Made will cultivate cross-campus collaborations, expand partnerships with industry and government, and train manufacturing professionals based on the university’s expertise in advanced materials, manufacturing technologies, computational design, data analytics, and digital infrastructure.
As faculty affiliated with the center advance state-of-the-art technology, they’ll focus on workforce development and outreach as key components of the center’s mission.
That includes not only educating students at Virginia Tech but offering continuing education to engineering professionals and engaging with K-12 students to raise awareness of opportunities in advanced manufacturing.
New Community Health Center of the NRV facility
The Community Health Center of the NRV broke ground on a new $13.9 million facility in May of 1025 to expand regional healthcare access. The new transformative medical facility will be located at 135 Akers Farm Road in Christiansburg.
CHCNRV has experienced extraordinary growth over the past decade, with patient visits increasing by 437% and now totaling more than 27,000 annually. This growth, while a testament to community need and trust, has stretched the limits of the current facility. Staff are scattered across multiple suites in the old motel complex, resulting in inefficiencies and limitations to further programmatic growth.
The new center, designed by Hughes Associate A&E of Roanoke, will unify services, expand access, and create a modern, welcoming environment for both patients and staff. The new 30,000-square-foot facility will replace CHCNRV’s current headquarters on Roanoke Street, a repurposed mid-century motel that has served as the organization’s home since 2002.
