Railway construction on the Long Bridge Project will prompt some service changes to Amtrak and the Virginia Railway Express (VRE) in Alexandria, starting next month.
Construction is expected to begin Jan. 12 and continue through 2030, the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority (VPRA) announced this week.
No trains will be eliminated, and morning and evening trains will still run. However, some trains may start or end in Alexandria instead of D.C.’s Union Station, according to VRE.
The following changes are detailed in a VRE fact sheet.
On the Manassas Line, we will be adding a train to the existing schedule which will operate prior to the track closure. In the afternoon, all passengers will be able to originate their trips at Union Station, L’Enfant, or Crystal City but some may need to transfer lines at Alexandria for the remainder of their southbound trip.
Affected rail customers are encouraged to use Amtrak’s recently reinstated Step-Up Program, which allows VRE passengers to ride select Amtrak trains, available seven days per week, for a $4 fee.
“As the Long Bridge Project enters full construction, major construction activities require daytime ‘work windows’ through the construction zone in Washington, D.C.,” VPRA said. “VPRA has coordinated service planning efforts with Amtrak, NCDOT, CSX, NS, and Virginia Railway Express, who have jointly developed a plan to preserve service.”
During the work windows from 8:15 a.m. to 1 p.m., which are scheduled around D.C.’s noise and vibration restriction (7 p.m.-7 a.m.), crews will make progress on the Long Bridge Project as well as the related Alexandria Fourth Track project and VRE’s L’Enfant project in D.C. Crews will not work on Sundays.
The forthcoming adjustments will be “temporary and may evolve” as construction continues, according to VRE.
