Commonwealth Corridor
Proposed Amtrak route
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Commonwealth Corridor is a proposed east-west inter-city passenger rail service in the U.S. state of Virginia. This project aims to establish a service between Newport News to a new station at New River Valley. The route will pass through key cities such as Roanoke, Charlottesville, Richmond, and Williamsburg, as well as several universities such as the College of William & Mary and the University of Virginia.[1]
Amtrak's Roanoke station | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Overview | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Service type | Inter-city rail | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Status | Proposed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Locale | Virginia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current operator | Amtrak | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | vapassengerrailauthority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Technical | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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A study conducted by the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation[2] estimated that the project would require $416.5 million to initiate and projected an annual ridership of 177,200 passengers once completed.[3]
The proposed route has been included in the Federal Railroad Administration’s Corridor Identification and Development Program, which allocated $500,000 towards conducting and preparing the line.[4][5]
To enhance the route and future services, the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority plans to acquire the right of way from Richmond to Charlottesville and from Roanoke to New River Valley.[6]
History
Historically, this route was part of an Amtrak service that operated from Newport News to Charlottesville. This service was discontinued in the 1980s due to financial challenges and declining ridership.[7]
In 2019, a significant milestone was achieved when several organizations, including Virginians for High-Speed Rail and the Southern Environmental Law Center, released a report advocating for the corridor. This report highlighted the potential economic and environmental benefits of the project. Later that year, the Northam administration’s “Transforming Rail in Virginia” initiative further bolstered the proposal by including plans to purchase 186 miles of track from Doswell to Clifton Forge.[8]
In 2022, Governor Glenn Youngkin expressed his full support for the Commonwealth Corridor.[9]