Fredericksburg Line
| Fredericksburg Line | |
|---|---|
 VRE train outside of Fredericksburg. | |
| Overview | |
| Type | Commuter rail line |
| System | Virginia Railway Express |
| Locale | Washington, D.C., Alexandria, Fairfax County, Prince William County, Stafford County, and Fredericksburg, Virginia |
| Termini |
Union Station (Washington, D.C.) Fredericksburg, VA |
| Stations | 13 (1 planned) |
| Operation | |
| Opened | July 20, 1992 |
| Owner | CSX Transportation |
| Operator(s) | Virginia Railway Express |
| Character | 2 track main line |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 54 miles |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) |
The Fredericksburg Line is a commuter rail line operated by Virginia Railway Express between Washington, D.C. and Fredericksburg, VA. Virginia Railway Express operates 7 weekday trains,[1] and Amtrak trains serve a few of the stations on the line. Trackage is owned by CSX as part of their RF&P Subdivision.
History
RF&P
What is today the Fredericksburg Line was originally part of the Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac Railroad (or RF&P), a connector railroad between the Pennsylvania and Baltimore and Ohio Railroads in Washington, D.C., and the Seaboard Air Line and Atlantic Coast Line Railroads in Richmond. In 1991 CSX absorbed the RF&P and the line is now their RF&P Subdivision.
Virginia Railway Express
In 1992 Virginia Railway Express (or VRE) was formed to serve the former RF&P between Washington's Union Station and Fredericksburg, VA as well as stations between Washington and Manassas, VA on Norfolk Southern's Piedmont Division. In 2015, the route was extended to Spotsylvania.
Amtrak
Along with VRE, many Amtrak trains also utilize this line. Their Northeast Regional trains stop at 6 of the 12 stations on the line and Alexandria is a major stop for 6 of their long distance trains.
Expansion
Work was completed on a third track between Alexandria and Franconia-Springfield in 2010. This track enables VRE and Amtrak trains to bypass slow freight trains over Franconia Hill. VRE would also like to add another third track between Powell's Creek in Prince William County and Arkendale Road in Stafford County in the near future.[2]
Stations list
| State | Town/City | Station | Connections |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | Washington | Union Station | Amtrak, MARC, VRE Manassas Line, Washington Metro Metrobus, Loudoun County Commuter Bus, OmniRide, MTA Commuter Bus |
| L'Enfant | Washington Metro, VRE Manassas Line Metrobus, Loudoun County Commuter Bus. OmniRide Commuter, MTA Commuter Bus | ||
| Virginia | Arlington | Crystal City | Washington Metro, VRE Manassas Line Metrobus, Arlington Transit, Fairfax Connector, Loudoun County Commuter Bus, OmniRide Commuter |
| Alexandria | Union Station | Amtrak, VRE Manassas Line, Washington Metro Metrobus, DASH Bus | |
| Springfield | Franconia Springfield | Washington Metro Metrobus, Fairfax Connector, OmniRide Commuter | |
| Lorton | Lorton | Fairfax Connector | |
| Woodbridge | Woodbridge | OmniRide, OmniLink | |
| Rippon | |||
| Dumfries | Potomac Shores | ||
| Quantico | Quantico | Amtrak, OmniRide | |
| Stafford | Brooke | ||
| Falmouth | Leeland | ||
| Fredericksburg | Fredericksburg | Amtrak Fredericksburg Regional Transit | |
| Spotsylvania | Spotsylvania |
References
See also
Route map: