US EditionShenandoah Valley Rail-to-Trail Project Could Give Way to a Rail-with-Trail Plan
The CTB will vote on transferring a 49-mile Norfolk Southern rail corridor with $35 million allocated for trail development preserving potential future rail use.
- On Tuesday, the Commonwealth Transportation Board voted to transfer the roughly 49-mile Norfolk Southern corridor and the remaining $35 million trail allocation from VDOT to VPRA.
- Transportation Secretary W. Sheppard "Shep" Miller said the transfer aims to preserve future rail options while delivering a trail, and under the resolution, VPRA and its grantee must hold public hearings and consider competing proposals by Feb. 15.
- The vote split repeatedly, requiring Miller to break ties as motions to delay and approve the transfer split 6-6, with Miller warning `There is risk` in postponing action.
- The transfer clears the way for a VPRA–SVBF partnership to acquire and manage the line, with VPRA retaining easement rights to restore passenger rail and reclaiming the corridor if SVBF fails to deliver.
- The public comment record shows 1,356 emailed submissions, with about 85% following a template, urging delay and a trail-only approach, while supporters included 890 signers and donors totaling $83,141.08.
11 Articles
11 Articles
Virginia Mercury
Va. transportation board transfers rail and trail project amid public concerns
A section of abandoned freight rail proposed to be part of a new biking and walking trail in the Shenandoah Valley. (Photo by Ben Cunningham/Allegheny-Blue Ridge Alliance)A controversial transfer of a trail project to Virginia’s passenger rail authority was pushed through by Transportation Secretary Shep Miller on Tuesday after a vote by the Commonwealth Transportation Board resulted in a 6-6 tie, drawing scrutiny of the board’s process and the…
The Winchester Star
Daily News-RecordCommonwealth Transportation Board approves Shenandoah Valley rail corridor transfer in split decision
The Commonwealth Transportation Board voted Tuesday to transfer the Shenandoah Valley rail corridor project, and the remaining portion of the General Assembly's $35 million trail allocation, from the Virginia Department of Transportation to the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority. The move…
The Virginian Pilot
Daily PressShenandoah Valley rail-to-trail project turns into ‘alarming surprise,’ mayors say
A plan to convert a 49-mile stretch of overgrown rail line into a recreational trail in the Shenandoah Valley is heading down a different track in the last weeks of Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s term in office, as a state transportation board plans to vote this week on a proposal to pursue the potential restoration of freight and passenger train service alongside a new trail. A study by the Virginia Department of Transportation estimated in November tha…
FOIA: VPRA comments lean trail-only as rail-with-trail plan draws business support
Public comments submitted to the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority about the Shenandoah Valley’s dormant rail corridor leaned heavily toward calls to delay action and pursue a trail-only conversion, records obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request show, even as…
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