Plans to Extend VRE To Haymarket Advance

Environmental Study of Route Approved

A key step in a plan to expand Virginia Railway Express to western Prince William County received approval from rail officials this month.

With a unanimous vote, the commuter rail service's operations board authorized VRE staff members June 19 to begin soliciting bids for a vendor who can conduct an environmental study and provide preliminary engineering services. The work associated with the estimated $5 million contract must be completed before VRE can expand 11 miles on Norfolk Southern's B line to reach the Gainesville-Haymarket area.

"We need this service out there," said Prince William Supervisor and VRE board member John D. Jenkins (D-Neabsco). "Try to go from [the Gainesville area] into Washington and you will see that the traffic is bumper-to-bumper. This expansion will take one to one-and-a-half lanes of traffic off the road."

The environmental study, which will fulfill requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act, will look at the entire 11-mile stretch to Haymarket. The vendor selected also will conduct a study to determine rail infrastructure needs and develop various design options.

VRE Planning Manager Christine Hoeffner said rail officials know that there could be "significant" environmental issues between Haymarket and Gainesville. The right of way where VRE plans to add infrastructure runs through wetlands and a flood plain, she said.

The environmental assessment will take 12 to 18 months. If the study reveals a sensitive issue such as a special plant or animal species in the area, however, a more comprehensive analysis will have to be conducted, Hoeffner said, which could take up to three years.

The work covered by the contract will start in August and be funded by several sources, VRE spokesman Mark Roeber said. The Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation's Rail Enhancement Fund will cover up to $3.25 million, though VRE must come up with a matching $1.75 million to receive the full grant.

Norfolk Southern has pledged to pay $1.5 million of the required match, and Prince William County has promised $173,000, Roeber said. VRE is asking the state to reduce the grant to eliminate the $77,000 gap in matching funds.

"It's not a huge difference, and we are confident we will still be able to complete the entire study without the additional funding," Hoeffner said.

Although VRE officials said that starting the environmental study and the preliminary engineering is an important step in turning the expansion into a reality, it would be seven to 10 years before riders could hop on a train in the western end of the county.

The full project, which could cost as much as $244 million, would add a second track and up to three stations near the Innovation Technology Park, Nissan Pavilion and the Interstate 66 and Route 15 intersection.

None of the funding for the project is in place, though VRE officials said they can tap into the state's Rail Enhancement Fund or some federal opportunities. Another issue is updating roadways. Interchange work at I-66 in Gainesville and a railroad overpass project in Manassas must be completed before VRE can push forward with the expansion.

The expansion has the potential to take up to 5,000 cars off the road and alleviate some bottlenecks in an area where residents, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, have the longest commute in the country.