Virginia begins work on rail relocation project

Virginia begins work on rail relocation project    The Virginia Port Authority has started preliminary engineering for a rail relocation project that it said will improve rail service at the Maersk/APM marine terminal and the future Craney Island marine terminal.
   The Median Rail Project will eliminate 14 at-grade rail crossings on the Commonwealth Railway line in neighborhoods in Portsmouth and Chesapeake. It includes construction of dual rail tracks in the median strip of State Route 164 and Interstate 664. Built in the 1980s, the medians were designed to accommodate double-stacked rail service.
   The VPA will be the lead agency to oversee the project, with a cost estimated at $60 million. Subject to full funding, the new rail lines could be operational by the end of 2009.