VA: Work on Potomac rail crossing to reduce trains to Richmond

The Richmond area soon will lose one daily Amtrak train to and from Washington, D.C., as work begins on a new railroad bridge across the Potomac River that ultimately will bring almost hourly commuter rail service between the two capitals.

Beginning on Jan. 12 through 2030, Amtrak will run one fewer round-trip train between Washington and its Staples Mill Road station in Henrico County and Main Street Station in downtown Richmond. Amtrak also will remove one daily train between Norfolk and Washington while providing express bus service from Hampton Roads to Union Station in D.C. Two trains traveling between Washington and Newport News will continue to stop at Main Street Station.

"No station is losing all service," said Karina Romero, spokesperson for the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority.

The payoff for Virginia rail travelers is that the reduced service is temporary to allow construction of a $2.7 billion rail bridge across the Potomac next to Long Bridge, built in 1904 to carry passenger and freight trains across the river on a pair of shared tracks.

The new bridge will double the capacity for train service at the Potomac, separating passenger and freight trains, while expanding opportunities for passenger service to Richmond, Hampton Roads and Southwest Virginia, as well as higher-speed rail service between the Richmond area and Raleigh, North Carolina.

"Our goal is to offer as much service as possible while working to upgrade our infrastructure, with the final result being more rail service throughout the commonwealth," said DJ Stadtler, executive director of the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority, in announcing the schedule changes.

The impending change in service could last as long as five years as work crews begin building portions of the project in Washington, where noise ordinances prohibit construction work between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. Instead, they will work between 8:15 a.m. and 1 p.m. each day.

In addition to reduced daily service to the Richmond area and Norfolk, Amtrak is adjusting the schedules for four long-distance trains — the Carolinian, Palmetto, Silver Meteor and Cardinal.

Preliminary work has begun on the construction of the new bridge, which also will include a separate pedestrian bridge between Arlington County in Northern Virginia and Washington. The project will include construction of a flyover in Fairfax County that will allow passenger trains to cross over the existing tracks to separate them from freight traffic across the river.

In addition to the new, two-track bridge, the project will require construction of seven new bridges — five for rail and two for cyclists and other pedestrians. The work restrictions apply to parts of the project in Washington, including construction of a structure to carry both sets of tracks north of the river.

Work crews also are building six miles of track between Alexandria and Arlington to connect with the new rail bridge and serve trains for Amtrak and the Virginia Railway Express, which provides commuter rail service as far south as Spotsylvania County.

The Long Bridge project is scheduled for completion in 2030.

Jennifer Mitchell, Amtrak executive vice president and former director of the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, said the Long Bridge project "will unlock new capacity, improve service reliability and stimulate economic opportunity for generations to come."

"While temporary schedule adjustments are necessary, we remain committed to delivering safe, reliable, and convenient travel options — including expanded bus-rail connections — to ensure that our customers continue to reach their destinations with ease," she said.

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