RICHMOND, Va. — Northern Virginia’s commuter railroad has given the green light to a new operating agreement with CSX Corp. that’s expected to trigger a $67 million rail improvement program from Washington to Richmond, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports.
Officials at the Virginia Railway Express and CSX confirmed yesterday that VRE’s two governing boards in Northern Virginia approved an amended operating pact late last week.
The agreement allows the commuter railroad to work with CSX, the freight railroad that owns its track, to undertake a series of state-financed improvements.
Gov. Jim Gilmore announced a high-speed rail plan in 1999 and the General Assembly allocated the funds in early 2000.
Pending final approval by Richmond-based CSX, the VRE plans to add midday train service on the Fredericksburg line and “continue to expand train service in the coming years,” according to a VRE statement.
On an average day, the VRE — which operates from Fredericksburg and Manassas into Washington — has 11,600 riders.
The state plans call for spending some of the $67 million on improvements that could help boost train speeds out of a renovated Main Street Station in Richmond.