The US state of Virginia has partnered with Norfolk Southern Railway Company to restart daily intercity passenger rail service back to Norfolk for the first time since 1977.
The round-trip train will link Norfolk to Richmond, Washington, DC and Boston and will provide an alternative to the busy I-64 and I-95 road corridors.
The agreement includes the upgrade of Norfolk Southern tracks between Norfolk and Petersburg for use by passenger trains and involves improvements worth $87m which will enable passenger trains to run on Norfolk Southern's busy Heartland Corridor route.
The improvements include upgraded signalling, track extensions and connections, passenger train turning and servicing facilities, a track and platform near Norfolk's Harbor park, as well as building a new connection between Norfolk Southern and CSXT tracks near Petersburg.
Norfolk Southern will work with the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation for the project, which will begin next year.
The trains will be part of Amtrak's Virginia regional service and will operate at speeds up to 79mp/h.
