VA: Bedford council OKs contract for services in pursuing rail stop

The Town of Bedford’s quest for an Amtrak passenger rail stop continues to pick up momentum, as the town council voted this week to enter into a contract with a company for professional engineering services for the project.

Town Manager Bart Warner at the council’s Tuesday meeting said staff have worked through the competitive procurement process to select a consulting engineering firm to conduct initial work for the proposed results of a rail stop. The scope is for environmental work and preliminary engineering tasks awarded by the Federal Rail Administration Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) grant, he said.

Of the nine proposals received and evaluated for project approach and relevant experience, Warner said AECOM Technical Services, Inc., was clearly more highly qualified and suitable than the three finalist firms considered.

The contract will go through July 2027 and in terms of council’s established priorities would relate primarily to downtown revitalization and economic development. The contract with AECOM is based on a request for proposals, Warner said.

“The required next step is to do some environmental engineering and design work as part of the grant — this would fund that,” Warner told council.

He added: “The next step is to find some money.”

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) in October awarded the town a $1.4 million grant to support potential development of a new intercity passenger rail stop in the town.

U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith, R- 9th District, who represents Bedford, announced the grant award in the fall.

“Bedford is a growing community with a lot of potential, located between the cities of Roanoke and Lynchburg,” Griffith said in a statement. “This DOT grant for nearly $1.5 million helps the Town of Bedford complete preliminary engineering and promote access to passenger rail services.”

The project is supported with grant funds from DOT’s CRISIS program, the release said.

Mary Zirkle, the town’s economic development coordinator, has reported to council a site along the north side of Macon Street and west of 4th Street is the preferred location. The property is directly across from the town’s athletic fields between the Bedford County Health Department and Bedford Primary School.

The stop is projected to have new low-speed track siding south of the existing Norfolk Southern mainline tracks, a 1,000-foot-long-by-15-foot-wide, high-level boarding platform, a 30-space parking lot and a transit drop-off area with separate access for buses and cars, and sidewalks, according to Zirkle’s report.

The cost estimate for this project development phase of a rail stop is $1.8 million: costs are shared in an 80/20 amount with the DOT funds providing the 80% grant that was awarded. The 20% match of non-federal funding has been committed by Bedford Town Council in the amount of $375,000, Zirkle said.

Vice Mayor Darryl Updike said he is encouraged by the movement.

“I'm just glad that we're still moving forward with this,” Updike said. “This is an important phase for the town, and we're just glad to see it moving in the right direction.”

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