Train Station Upgrades, Repairs Planned In Fredericksburg: Report

FREDERICKSBURG, VA — The City of Fredericksburg has reached an agreement with CSX and Virginia Railway Express (VRE) on a master plan for improvements to the city's downtown train station. The upgrades to the station are expected to be made over the next two or three years at a cost of about $5 million, according to a Free Lance-Star report.

Under the plan, the station's platforms will be extended to handle VRE's longer trains. A stairway will be built to allow passengers access to the George Washington Regional Commission parking lot. Other work will include repairing the facades of the bridges over Charles and Sophia streets. The cost of the upgrades will be covered by the state and federal governments, the report said.

Earlier this month, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced a $3.7 billion agreement with CSX that will include adding a new track in the Washington-to-Richmond corridor. It could take eight to 15 years before the third track, which would run through Fredericksburg, is completed and in operation, city Councilman Matt Kelly told the newspaper.