Commonwealth Corridor

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The Commonwealth Corridor is a proposed east-west passenger rail line running from Blacksburg to Newport News via Roanoke, Charlottesville, Richmond and Williamsburg. It will be built in segments including upgrades in service on existing routes.

Map of the proposed Commonwealth Corridor

History

The concept of the Commonwealth Corridor originated in a report released in September 2019 by Virginians for High Speed Rail, the Southern Environmental Law Center, Virginia21, and the Hampton Roads & Roanoke Chambers of Commerce.[1]

In December 2019, the Northam administration announced the Transforming Rail in Virginia initiative, which included the purchase of 186 miles of track from Doswell to Clifton Forge, then owned by CSX and operated by the Buckingham Branch.[2]

In 2020, Senator Jennifer McClellan (D-Richmond) and Delegate Sam Rasoul (D-Roanoke) introduced SJ 50, a joint resolution to direct the Department of Rail and Public Transportation to prepare a study on the feasibility of the service. The bill passed the Senate unanimously and the House 90-2.[3] The feasibility study was released in October 2021.

Feasibility Study

The DRPT feasibility study anticipates two round-trip trains daily, requiring major upgrades to the Charlottesville-Doswell section of the route, the only portion that did not have passenger service or imminently planned service at the time of the report. The infrastructure upgrades on that segment comprise the bulk of the $319.2m known capital costs in 2021 dollars, escalated to $416.5m in 2030 dollars. Unknown capital costs include additional upgrades the host railroads may require to allow additional passenger service on other segments. Annual operation & maintenance costs were estimated at $25.09m (2019$), plus an additional $2.46m to lease the three trainsets from Amtrak, totaling $27.55m in annual recurring cost.[4]

Once in operation, the study projects 177,200 riders would use the service annually, or 485 riders per day, including 45,300 riders to or from Charlottesville. The bulk of Charlottesville riders, 33,100, would come from trips originating or terminating at Newport News.

Estimated 2040 Passenger Origin-Destination Matrix
Newport News Williamsburg Richmond Ashland Charlottesville Lynchburg Roanoke New River Valley Total
Newport News 0 100 5,300 700 33,100 7,900 3,500 1,300 51,900
Williamsburg 100 0 2,600 500 6,300 1,400 1,000 400 12,300
Richmond 5,300 2,600 0 100 200 1,000 6,200 3,800 19,200
Ashland 700 500 100 0 100 500 1,800 1,000 4,700
Charlottesville 33,100 6,300 200 100 0 100 2,100 3,400 45,300
Lynchburg 7,900 1,400 1,000 500 100 0 100 100 11,100
Roanoke 3,500 1,000 6,200 1,800 2,100 100 0 4,000 18,700
New River Valley 1,300 400 3,800 1,000 3,400 100 4,000 0 14,000
Total 51,900 12,300 19,200 4,700 45,300 11,100 18,700 14,000 177,200

Timeline of implementation

  • July 11, 2022 – Second Amtrak daily Northeast Regional passenger train entered service between Roanoke and D.C. [5]
  • March 27, 2023 – DRPT applies for federal Corridor ID grant to establish a Service Development Plan for the Commonwealth Corridor
  • December 8, 2023 – Corridor ID grants awarded for the Commonwealth Corridor and the Northeast Regional extension to Bristol[6]

Documents


References

  1. Web. Expanding Virginia's Passenger Rail: Connecting the Blue Ridge to the Beach with the Commonwealth Corridor, SELC, August 28, 2019, retrieved 2023-01-03.
  2. Web. A new East-West passenger rail corridor could run through Charlottesville, Wyatt Gordon, Daily Progress, Lee Enterprises, September 1, 2022, retrieved 2023-01-03.
  3. Web. SJ 50 Commonwealth Corridor passenger rail service; DRPT to study feasibility of an east-west service., Virginia LIS, 2020, retrieved 2023-01-03.
  4. Web. 2021 Commonwealth Corridor Feasibility Study, Department of Rail and Public Transportation, October 6, 2021, retrieved 2023-01-03.
  5. Web. Second daily train between Roanokeand D.C. to start July 11, Sean Tubbs, News Article, Town Crier Productions, July 5, 2022, retrieved January 5, 2023.
  6. Web. Two Virginia Passenger Rail Corridors Accepted into Federal Funding Program, Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, December 8, 2023, retrieved 2023-12-08.