New passenger rail improvements for the Virginia Railway Express and Amtrak are on the way in 2020.
"In the biggest boost in decades to train travel in the D.C. area, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam and CSX announced a $3.7 billion agreement Thursday for the state to buy 225 miles of track and build new passenger rail improvements, reports Max Smith.
"Virginia will buy half of the CSX rail line from L’Enfant Plaza in D.C. to downtown Richmond, which will allow for many more daily Amtrak and Virginia Railway Express trains, and, for the first time, provide weekend service on VRE’s Fredericksburg Line," according to Smith.
The news is the latest in a string of positive planning and development news for intercity rail in Virginia. In September Planetizen picked up news of high ridership on two new Amtrak lines in Virginia, and in November, the District Department of Transportation announced plans for a bridge expansion to alleviate a bottleneck for Virginia Railway Express and Amtrak trains over the Potomac River.
Virginia rail lines will immediately expand service as a result of the state's purchase of the CSX line, as detailed in the article.
FULL STORY: Major Amtrak, VRE expansion set under $3.7 billion Virginia-CSX deal
Key Virginia Rail Bridge Project Completes Environmental Review
A $1.9 billion project to add a second set of rail tracks to the Long Bridge that connects Virginia to D.C. is ready to move forward with a recently completed Environmental Impact Statement.
Virginia Planning for High-Speed Rail Between Richmond and D.C.
The pieces of the still-speculative Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor—connecting Atlanta to Washington, D.C.—are starting to take shape. The latest leg to come into focus would connect Richmond to D.C.
What the US Intercity Rail System Could Look Like
An FRA study shows how new Amtrak lines could connect tens of millions more Americans to rail travel.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
5 New England states march closer to 800 megawatt wind energy project
Securing federal approval for the project may be complicated under the Trump administration, which has historically been hostile towards domestic wind power.
Baltimore to break ground on $50 million Transit Priority Project
The project will bring faster bus trips, safer streets and better bike connections to Baltimore.
Airbnb launches $250 million 'last-dollar financing' housing accelerator, makes first investment in Austin
The company will put $6.4 million towards affordable housing development in Texas’ capital.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association