New River Valley Station Site Study Areas (VPRA Feasibility Study)
NRV Passenger Rail Goal
Secure Amtrak service for residents of the New River Valley that points north along the Mid-Atlantic corridor.
Why do we want Amtrak in the NRV?
It is good for the community!
It fuels economic growth in the region (including tourism).
It provides increased accessibility for region to hubs like DC and New York.
It is good for travel and safety!
The train provides a safe and efficient mode of transportation. No more stressful, unpredictable I-81 traffic.
It is close to Virginia Tech and Radford University.
Where Are We Now?
So where are we in the process of getting passenger rail service to the New River Valley?
Roanoke Service
Service to and from Roanoke began on October 31, 2017. With a daily departure and arrival, this stop is the newest for the Amtrak Northeast Regional Route. Cities like Washington D.C., Philadelphia, New York and Boston can now be reached from Southwest Virginia. Having service in Roanoke was the next step in the process of getting passenger rail service to the New River Valley.
NRV Station Site Selection
A Passenger Rail Study in 2015 was conducted to identify a potential location for a passenger rail station and document the ridership demand in the New River Valley region.
Initial ridership was estimated utilizing Amtrak’s Station Program and Planning Guide. According to the guidelines, much of the New River Valley meets the characteristics of a medium city center and/or college town.
Amtrak provided additional guidance for determining site characteristics such as the number of parking spaces, platform length, and blueprints for a prototype Caretaker Station. Nearly thirty potential stop locations were identified along the region’s rail corridor in the first phase. During the second phase of evaluation, a comparative analysis measured the strengths and weaknesses of nine locations. Criteria included consistency with local planning, potential business/residential displacement, potential environmental and historical impacts, proximity to primary transportation network and municipal utilities, availability/ownership, and general site capacity/flexibility. Quantitative and qualitative factors for each site were rigorously evaluated against up to 32 criteria. In September 2015, the study recommended three final sites for concept level development and analysis, two locations in Christiansburg and one location in the City of Radford.
The ultimate location chosen was in Christiansburg, next to the Aquatic Center.
For more details, you may download the full report here or visit the NRV Passenger Rail Study page.
Operational Study
The Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) has approved $350,000 in the FY2018-19 state operating budget for a Rail Traffic Control Modeling Study. This study will determine operational improvements needed for passenger rail expansion to the NRV and Bristol.
Site Ownership and Maintenance Study
This is a regional committee that is currently examining ownership models for the NRV passenger rail station. The committee will also work to identify funding needs, potential revenue, and initial construction costs.
How Can We Ensure Service Will Come to Christiansburg?
Securing service to Christiansburg will be dependent on the demand of service out of Roanoke. So what can YOU do to ensure passenger rail comes to the NRV? Ride! Use the service to show that the demand is there! Learn more about how to ride the rail in Roanoke here. Looking for additional ways on how you can help? Click here.