| System | Virginia Railway Express |
|---|---|
| Locale | Washington, D.C., Alexandria, Fairfax County, Prince William County, Stafford County, and Fredericksburg, Virginia |
| Start | Union Station (Washington, D.C.) |
| End | Fredericksburg, VA |
| Stations | 13 (1 planned) |
| Daily ridership | 7,759 (April 2025) |
| Trainnumber | 300–315 |
| Open | July 20, 1992 |
| Owner | CSX Transportation |
| Operator | Virginia Railway Express |
| Character | 2 track main line |
| Linelength | 54 miles |
| Speed | 79 mph (127km/h) (top) 33.1mph (52.9km/h) (average) |
The Fredericksburg Line is a commuter rail service operated by Virginia Railway Express between Washington, D.C., and Olive, Virginia. Virginia Railway Express operates 8 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.
The line's trains get around 7,759 boardings per weekday in April 2025.[2]
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, Virginia as well as stations between Washington and Manassas, Virginia 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 six of the 12 stations on the line and Alexandria is a major stop for six 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 Powells Creek in Prince William County and Arkendale Road in Stafford County in the near future.[3]
Stations list
| State | Town/City | Station | Connections |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | Washington | Union Station |
|
| Virginia | Arlington | ||
| Alexandria | |||
| Springfield | |||
| Lorton | Fairfax Connector | ||
| Woodbridge | |||
| OmniRide | |||
| Dumfries | |||
| Quantico |
| ||
| Stafford | |||
| Falmouth | |||
| Fredericksburg |
| ||
| Spotsylvania |
See also
References
- ^ "VRE schedule". Archived from the original on January 6, 2010. Retrieved January 1, 2010.
- ^ "Train Utilization | Virginia Railway Express". 2025-04-07. Archived April 7, 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2025-04-07.
- ^ "VRE's Fredericksburg Line is getting more triple track". August 17, 2009.