The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors went on record yesterday (Tuesday) supporting state officials’ efforts to cure a major rail-traffic bottleneck.
In a letter to U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, the board asked the federal government to award the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority’s request for funding to design 4.6 miles of a third mainline track on CSX’s rail corridor in Fairfax and Prince William counties.
Known as the Occoquan River Third Rail project, the rail expansion is one of a series of projects being completed in stages as part of the authority’s $6 billion Transforming Rail in Virginia initiative.
Building on a third passenger rail extension from Franconia to Lorton that’s currently under construction, the project also calls for replacement of existing railroad bridges over Richmond Highway (Route 1) and Furnace Road, improvements to the Woodbridge Amtrak and Virginia Railway Express (VRE) station, and a new railroad bridge over the Occoquan River.
“In Fairfax County, these improvements enhance commuter reliability, reduce congestion along the Richmond Highway corridor and strengthen regional economic connectivity,” county leaders said in the letter, which will go out under the signature of Board Chair Jeff McKay.
One of the railroad bridges over Richmond Highway is more than a century old and has been the site of numerous accidents in which tall vehicles hit the span, Mount Vernon Supervisor Dan Storck said.
When that happens, both road and rail traffic can come to a halt until safety conditions are assessed, he said. A truck crash into the bridge in October 2019, for example, delayed one VRE train by 50 minutes.
“For South Fairfax County, including Mount Vernon and Franconia, this project presents an opportunity to address a longstanding bottleneck,” Storck said.
County officials say that by connecting with other improvements currently underway, the proposed project will help complete 19 miles of a continuous three-track corridor from Alexandria to Prince William County.
More from the county board’s letter to Duffy:
“The project also lays the groundwork for a future four-track corridor that will allow for the separation of freight and passenger rail services with the bridges designed to accommodate four tracks. These improvements support local infrastructure goals and broader corridor-wide rail enhancements that will benefit both passenger and freight rail service in the corridor, allowing for growth of service and improved reliability.”
The federal funding being sought would come from the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Program. Just over $5 billion will be available for projects in the current round of funding.
The application deadline for submission to the Department of Transportation was Feb. 6.
