VA Gov. Youngkin Breaks Ground on Amtrak New River Valley Project

VA Governor Glenn Youngkin broke ground recently on Amtrak’s New River Valley Rail Project in Christiansburg, VA. 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.

“Today’s groundbreaking represents a lot of hard work, determination, and collaboration,” said Gov. Youngkin. “We are here today because people came to the table and worked together to execute a new and dramatically better deal—one that accelerates the return of passenger rail service to the New River Valley years earlier, on a better line, and at a much lower cost to Virginia’s taxpayers—than the one I inherited. I look forward to all that this station will do to support and grow such an important region of 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
• An Amtrak layover facility in nearby Radford

“I want to thank VPRA and Norfolk Southern for coming together last year to reach an all-around better deal for Virginians,” said Virginia Secretary of Transportation W. Sheppard Miller III. “The new agreement between VPRA and Norfolk Southern is the reason we are here breaking ground on a project that will provide additional connectivity and promote economic growth in the New River Valley.”

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 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 New River Valley Passenger Rail Station Authority—created by the Virginia General Assembly in 2021—has the lead in the renovation of the historic Christiansburg station building at Cambria. It will be called the New River Valley Station and renovations are expected to begin in 2027.

Amtrak 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. From DC, the service will continue onto Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor to Philadelphia, New York, Boston, and points in-between.