Virginia, Norfolk Southern plan rail improvements

Virginia, Norfolk Southern plan rail improvements The Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation said it has signed an agreement with Norfolk Southern Railway for improvements along the Interstate 81 rail corridor.
   The state said the $57 million deal would result in improvements designed to divert trucks from highway to rail by increasing capacity for freight rail service and providing the potential for passenger rail capacity improvements.
   Virginia said the project would increase freight rail shipments and over the next 15 years remove 597,000 truck trips from Virginia highways.
   Virginia will provide $40 million for the project and Norfolk Southern $17 million in private funding.
   These improvements will focus on the most congested portion of the I-81 rail corridor, between Manassas and Front Royal along I-66. While the overall needs for improvement in the I-81 rail corridor are extensive, the Manassas to Front Royal portion of the line is the most significant bottleneck for rail traffic, with limited opportunities for trains to pass each other and no signal system to control rail traffic.
   New sidings and double track will be built, and existing sidings will be extended to accommodate today’s longer freight trains. The improvements also include train signals and control.