$5M Fredericksburg VRE Project Takes Next Step

FREDERICKSBURG, VA — The Fredericksburg VRE station is inching closer towards a $5 million construction project. Last week, the commuter rail service’s Operations Board approved a task order for construction management services.

Construction on the station is scheduled to begin in Summer 2022, officials said. The board has not yet selected a construction contractor for the project.

The order for construction management services authorized up to $655,000 for a contractor to help VRE staff in managing construction.

In 2011, concrete modifications and repairs were made at both of the Fredericksburg platform's stations. Both platforms are about 400 feet long.

The original platforms are still at the station though they are rarely used due to "uneven surfaces, cracking and delamination," the VRE said. The new construction project would extend platforms by 125 feet to increase boarding capacity. The project will also add a stair tower to keep passengers from having to cross Princess Anne Street.

Councilor Matt Kelly represents the City of Fredericksburg on VRE’s Operations Board."This project, which will lengthen the station’s platform, is designed to improve passenger safety and convenience," Kelly said. "New stairs will allow passengers to move between the platform and parking lot without crossing Princess Anne Street at grade level. Other improvements include new signage, sidewalks, lighting and paint. It’s truly a transformational project."

The construction at Fredericksburg's VRE station is just one of several transit projects taking place around the state.

“The Fredericksburg rehabilitation project is one of more than a dozen station improvement projects included in VRE’s six-year $1.1 billion capital improvement program,” Operations Board Chair Margaret Franklin said. “VRE, in partnership with the Commonwealth of Virginia, has embarked on a decade-long process that will make our service one of the most safe, reliable and convenient in the nation.”