Virginia gives details on ‘huge’ and ‘transformational’ plans to run more VRE trains

The state is investing, and the VRE CEO Doug Allen is excited about plans for a rebuilt Potomac River crossing.

At a VRE Operations Board meeting Friday in Woodbridge, DRPT Director Jennifer Mitchell used those words, “huge” and “transformational” to describe a $1.9 billion project to build a new Long Bridge across the Potomac River.

The Long Bridge links Arlington and Washington, D.C., and is a major bottleneck for east-coast rail traffic.

• VRE and CSX freight trains compete for space on the bridge, causing delays that ripple across the commuter rail system’s two lines — Fredericksburg and Manassas.
• DRPT is investing $214 million into a new bridge which Mitchell called a “down payment” on the project.
• Additional federal and state monies will also be used to make up the difference, she added.
• In addition to easing congestion, the new bridge will increase capacity allowing VRE to increase the number of trains it runs from 34 to 92 by 2040, a 67% increase.
• While there’s been no interest from it yet, DRPT says Maryland could run as many as eight of its MARC commuter trains across the bridge into Virginia to what will be a newly expanded Crystal City VRE station, near the site of Amazon’s HQ2.

There’s also room for improvements south of the bridge, like a new $300 million flyover track to be built near the Franconia-Springfield Metro Station, Mitchell told the VRE Board.

• The flyover would allow trains to easily shift from the east side of the rail tracks to the west, to a commuter-rail-dedicated fourth track for an “unincumbered”  path directly to Long Bridge.
• The new flyover will increase capacity, too, said VRE General Manager Doug Allen.

“They’re doing a study, looking at the cost of adding a new fourth lane to [Interstate] 95, and, believe me, it costs more than [both of these projects combined],” said Mitchell.

There are no set construction start dates for either project.

• A draft environmental study for the Long Bridge project has been posted.
• “Once you get to the point of a draft environmental impact statement, you really have a project there,” said Allen, excited about the prospects for a new bridge.
• An environmental public hearing for Long Bridge is set for Oct. 22, 2019, in Washington.