(Updated at 11:45 a.m.) Virginia Railway Express (VRE) is moving forward with plans to upgrade Alexandria Union Station — not to be confused with D.C.’s Union Station.
On Oct. 24, the VRE submitted concepts for a requested development site plan to improve accessibility to the train station at 110 Callahan Drive, which also serves Amtrak.
Katherine Carraway, an urban planner for the Department of Planning and Zoning, told ALXnow in an email:
Proposed improvements are to improve passenger safety, operations and accessibility. Some of the proposed improvements include the following upgrades:
- The installation of two new elevators to provide an ADA‐accessible route to the east platform.
- Elimination of the existing at‐grade crossing between the east and west platforms.
The improvements will create a safer passenger crossing between the two platforms, according to a VRE statement.
Funding for the project is provided by the Federal Highway Administration, the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, and grants.
If approved, construction for the project is scheduled to be completed sometime in 2021.
Staff photo by Jay Westcott
