Join

McAuliffe Breaks Ground for Potomac Shores VRE Station

WOODBRIDGE, Va. — With a golden shovel and the tossing of dirt, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe broke ground for a new Virginia Railway Express station in Woodbridge.

The $14 million passenger depot will be on the commuter railroad’s Fredericksburg line, and will be built in the developing Potomac Shores neighborhood, a master-planned community already getting attention after it opened its Jack Niclaus-designed golf course in June.

With more than 100 new homes and several new developments planned for the 2,000 acre property, including a new hotel and town center to surround the rail station that will over look the Potomac River, the region’s population – and traffic congestion – is expected to only get worse.

“You cannot grow an economy if your transportation system doesn’t work,” said McAuliffe, who says he’s all too familiar with bad Northern Virginia traffic. “We normally travel [Interstate] 95 several times per week. Today, we couldn’t take the risk and we took a helicopter, to be honest with you.

The station has been a long time coming and is part of the original vision for VRE, developed more than 20 years ago. It will be constructed under a public-private partnership with Potomac Shores’ developer, California-based SunCal building the rail station and Virginia taxpayers footing the $75 million price tag for an 11-mile extension of addition track that will be needed to serve the station.

“Our traffic is terrible and is getting worse and worse in front of us,” said Stafford County Aquia District Supervisor Paul Milde, who is also Chairman of the Virginia Railway Express Executive Board. “…We simply don’t have the money we need to build and maintain the miles of new lanes that are needed to unsnarl the traffic nightmare that has been associated with this county and my county, and our region has to deal with daily.”

The new station is slated to open by 2017 and will sit on below a bluff that overlooks the Potomac River. It will be the center of the development new town center that, when built out completely, will feature a hotel, restaurants, retail stores, new homes, and office space.

“This development will act as a catalyst as an economic engine to spur development in the county and this region for years and years to come,” said Prince William County Potomac District Supervisor Maureen Caddigan. “The station will take thousands of cars off the road when it’s built.”

After years of off again-on again development, SunCal purchased the foreclosed property on the Cherry Hill Peninsula on which its Potomac Shores will sit in 2011. Before its previous developer went belly up during the U.S. economic downturn, the development was known as Harbor Station.

Longtime peninsula resident and former Prince William County Woodbridge District Supervisor Hilda Barg has long anticpated the development of this project. “I have waited for much more than 20 yeasrs. I’ve seen different developers on this peninsula. I’ve watched them come and I’ve watched them go,” said Barg. “When we got SunCal we got the real deal.”

Recent Stories

Stafford County Government and Stafford County Public Schools will hold a joint job fair on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, from 1:30 to 7 p.m. at the Rowser Building, 1739 Richmond Highway, Stafford.

MANASSAS, Va. — Trains will take center stage once again as Manassas hosts its 31st Annual Railway Festival on Saturday, June 7, 2025.

Stafford County Fire and Rescue units responded to a structure fire at approximately 11:40 p.m. on Sunday, April 27, 2025, in the 00 block of Churchill Lane in the western part of the county.

OCCOQUAN, Va. — Two new historical markers have been installed in Occoquan, highlighting little-known aspects of the town’s early economic and environmental history.

Empower Your Future: Leadership, Mentorship, Education, and Networking — Calling middle and high school students for FREE Educational Summer Programming!

LLT STEMpower Camp at Marymount University

Middle School Students | Two Sessions:

July 7–11, 2025

Read More

Submit your own Community Post here.

Inspired by local physicians who were among the nation’s first to adopt the concierge medicine model, Northern Virginia is now a hub for its surging popularity. These leading physicians are redefining the patient experience with same-day appointments, direct availability, unhurried visits, and deeply personalized care:

After almost 40 years in practice, Manassas-based Internist John Cary, MD’s change to concierge medicine enabled focused attention for each individual, and the launch of his innovative diet program for those with type 2 diabetes. “The goal is to promote enough weight loss to reach an acceptable A1C of 6% with no medication,” he explains. “Achieving that can take several months of very close follow up. As I tell my patients, we are in this together.”

Jay Tyroler, MD considers his patients quite literally as family. “I believe there’s nothing more honorable than helping patients when they’re sick, or scared, or feeling vulnerable, and I care for them exactly as I would my loved ones.” Whether for a specialist referral, urgent health issue or ongoing follow up, “My patients know I’m always just a phone call away.”

Read More

Submit your own Community Post here.

Your Weight Matters National Convention

Hosted by the Obesity Action Coalition (OAC) since 2012, this highly-anticipated gathering is the nation’s leading gathering focused on empowering individuals with science-based education, support and practical tools for managing weight and improving health.

This unique Convention truly has something

Van Metre 5K Run

Participate in the 33rd Annual Van Metre 5K Run—a race that goes further than 3.1 miles, where every stride you take supports Children’s National Hospital. The Van Metre 5K Run donates 100% of proceeds to Children’s National Hospital and has

×

Subscribe to our mailing list