Crews building Potomac Shores parking garage to house VRE riders

Work is underway at Potomac Shores to build a new four-level, 400-space parking garage.

During a groundbreaking event Monday, May 8, 2023, a spokesman for Potomac Shores developer Biddle Real Estate Ventures said the garage will open in Fall 2024, with the train station construction occurring at the time of opening or beginning shortly after that. The structure will be a precursor to a new Virginia Railway Express station to be built next to the garage.

VRE and Amtrak riders who will use the station, or customers of the shops and restaurants to be built nearby, will use the garage. Former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe broke ground for the commuter rail station in 2014.

Biddle Real Estate Ventures is still applying for permits to build the new commuter rail station. The process should be complete next year. Meanwhile, the developer is donating about four acres on which the station will sit to Virginia Passenger Rail Authority, clearing the way for station construction.

Initial designs include elevators to take passengers from the station to the train platform next to the tracks, located at the bottom of a riverside cliff.

The station has been redesigned twice since its groundbreaking in 2014, costing the developer at least $5 million. Initial designs did not include a third track built in the later part of the decade or in the early 2030s to separate passenger and freight rail traffic.

It’s unclear how much the new station will cost to build. Monday’s announcement from Peter Chavkin of Biddle Real Estate Ventures was the first sign of life for the project in nearly 10 years.

“We’re not here today to say ‘it’s coming soon.’ It’s happening,” said Chavkin as earthmovers hauled dirt up the cliff of the Potomac River.

Several Prince William Board of County Supervisors heralded the construction. “This project is a symbol o progress and innovation, and a collaboration between government, private industry, and individuals,” said Ann Wheeler, Board of County Supervisors At-large Chair.

Potomac District Supervisor Andrea Bailey, praised for bringing together the state and developer to sign an agreement to move forward with the project in April 2023, said the project shows the county’s commitment to mobility.

Margaret Franklin, the Woodbridge District Supervisor, said residents deserve more quality public transportation options like the VRE. All three politicians are up for reelection this year, with Wheeler and Bailey facing opponents in a June 20, 2023 Primary Election.

When the station opens, it will feature a boardwalk along the east side overlooking the Potomac River, with gazebos and benches. The station would also be served by new weekend trains that could begin as early as 2026, said VRE CEO Rich Dalton.

The station will be the first to open on the dual-line VRE system since 2015 when VRE opened a new station in Spotsylvania County.