Christiansburg station

Last updated

Christiansburg, VA
Christiansburg station, July 1987.jpg
Christiansburg station in July 1987
General information
Location Depot Street NE at East Main Street
Christiansburg, Virginia
Coordinates 37°8′28.79″N80°24′6.35″W / 37.1413306°N 80.4017639°W / 37.1413306; -80.4017639
Line(s) NS Christiansburg District
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks2
ConnectionsAiga bus trans.svg Blacksburg Transit
Aiga bus trans.svg Valley Metro
History
Opened1857
March 24, 1975 [1]
Opening2027 (planned)
ClosedApril 30, 1971
October 1, 1979 [2]
Rebuilt1906
Future services
Preceding station BSicon LOGO Amtrak2.svg Amtrak Following station
Terminus Northeast Regional Roanoke
Former services
Preceding station BSicon LOGO Amtrak2.svg Amtrak Following station
Narrows
toward Tri-State
Hilltopper Roanoke
toward Boston South
Narrows
toward Chicago
Mountaineer Roanoke
toward Norfolk
Preceding station Norfolk and Western Railway Following station
Pearlsburg
toward Cincinnati
Main Line Shawsville
toward Norfolk

Christiansburg station is a train station in Christiansburg, Virginia. It was served by Norfolk and Western Railway passenger trains until 1971, the Amtrak Mountaineer from 1975 to 1977, and thereafter the Hilltopper until 1979. Passenger service is scheduled to be restored to the station in 2027 with the extension of Northeast Regional service from Roanoke.

Contents

History

From 1869 to 1906, the station was housed at what is today the Cambria Freight Station Cambria Freight Station.JPG
From 1869 to 1906, the station was housed at what is today the Cambria Freight Station

The Virginia and Tennessee Railroad was built through Christiansburg in 1857. Originally planned to go through the town center, it was rerouted to the north due to the concerns of town leaders. A train station was built in Cambria (which was a separate municipality until 1964).

Much of the railroad was destroyed by Union forces during the Civil War. In 1868–69, a larger one-story station was built. That station was itself too small after several decades; a new station was built in 1906, and the older station became the town's freight house. [3]

Amtrak service

Even as local service petered out in the 1960s, the Norfolk and Western Railway (N&W) continued to run the crack Norfolk–Cincinnati Pocahontas and the local station counterpart on the same route, the Powhatan Arrow. The N&W also operated the Birmingham–Washington Birmingham Special (unnamed after February 1970 and cut back to Bristol in August 1970), the New Orleans-Washington Pelican (discontinued, 1970) and the Memphis-bound Tennessean. When Amtrak took over intercity passenger rail service on May 1, 1971, it chose not to continue service on the two trains, thus ending service to Christiansburg.

Service was restored on March 24, 1975, with the introduction of the Mountaineer between Norfolk and Chicago. [1] The Mountaineer was replaced by the Hilltopper on June 1, 1977. [4] The Hilltopper was discontinued on October 1, 1979, ending rail service to Christiansburg for the second time. [2]

Proposed new service

Amtrak's Northeast Regional service was extended to Roanoke station in late 2017. In January 2016, the New River Valley Metropolitan Planning Organization named three sites in Christiansburg – two off Franklin Street and one in Cambria – as possible sites for a station in the New River Valley should service be extended further to Bristol. Sites in Dublin, Pulaski, and Radford were also considered. [5] In May 2016, the town purchased 1 acre (0.40 ha) of residential land off Franklin Street for potential future station use. [6]

In 2021, the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority (VPRA) and Norfolk Southern reached an agreement for the state to purchase part of the former Virginian Railway for service to the New River Valley. A station was to be built at Merrimac, between Christiansburg and Blacksburg, rather than at Franklin Street or Cambria. [7] As of June 2024, however, the VRPA and Norfolk Southern were in negotiations to instead extend service on the N-Line (ex-Norfolk and Western) with a station at Cambria Yard. The VRPA indicated this could be done faster and cheaper than service on the Virginian line. [8] As of March 2025, preliminary construction is underway, with construction of the platform expected to begin by May 2025. [9] [10] The total budget of the project is $326.7 million. [10]

References

  1. 1 2 "Amtrak's 'Mountaineer' makes first run today". Williamson Daily News. March 24, 1975. Retrieved December 15, 2011.
  2. 1 2 Nagasaki, Hikki. "Christiansburg, Virginia". USA Rail Guide. TrainWeb.
  3. Gibson Worsham and Charlotte Worsham (January 1985). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Cambria Freight Station" (PDF). Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 14, 2016. and Accompanying photo Archived 2016-08-16 at the Wayback Machine
  4. "Hilltopper Begins Service". Amtrak News. 4 (11). June 15, 1977. Archived from the original on October 16, 2015. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
  5. Gentry, Matt (January 14, 2016). "Christiansburg sites considered possible passenger train stops". The Roanoke Times. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
  6. Moxley, Tonia (August 17, 2016). "Christiansburg buys property for proposed rail station". Roanoke Times. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  7. "Governor Northam Announces Agreement with Norfolk Southern Railway to Expand Passenger Rail to Southwest Virginia" (Press release). Virginia Office of the Governor. May 5, 2021.
  8. "VPRA and Norfolk Southern in Discussions for New Rail Agreement" (Press release). Virginia Passenger Rail Authority. June 4, 2024.
  9. Kinney, Annabelle (March 27, 2025). "Official construction on NRV Passenger Rail Project to begin soon". WDBJ-7. Retrieved March 29, 2025.
  10. 1 2 "New River Valley Project – VPRA". Virginia Passenger Rail Authority. Retrieved March 30, 2025.