Groundbreaking celebrates passenger rail’s arrival in NRV
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin asked that everyone involved in bringing passenger rail service to Cambria join him for the groundbreaking photo. Governor Youngkin is wearing the yellow vest. (William Paine photos/Patriot Publishing)
The Cambria Train Station was built in 1906 and renovations on the station are set to begin immediately. A 1000-foot platform, similar in size to the one in Roanoke, will allow access for passengers to board Amtrak passenger cars. The groundbreaking ceremony was held in the white tent, as seen on the right side of the photo.
By WILLIAM PAINE
Patriot Publishing
Several Virginia politicians, including Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, gathered at the old train station in Cambria last Thursday for a groundbreaking ceremony marking the return of passenger rail service to the New River Valley.
The railroad station in Cambria, which is within the corporate limits of the Town of Christiansburg, was built in 1906 and hasn’t hosted passenger rail service since 1979.
In addition to Governor Youngkin, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine and Congressman Morgan Griffith, the gathering included state senators Travis Hackworth and David Suetterlein, former state senator John Edwards, Virginia Tech President Tim Sands, Radford University President Brent Danilowicz and more than two dozen employees of Amtrack.
“It’s truly a landmark day for Christiansburg and the entire New River Valley,” said Christiansburg Mayor Michael Barber, who also serves as Chairman of the NRV Passenger Rail Station Authority. “This train station will draw visitors into our shops, our restaurants and our neighborhoods. It will support job growth, spark new investment and make Christiansburg an even more dynamic hub for the New River Valley.”
DJ Stadtler, Executive Director of the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority followed the mayor’s comments by saying, “I’m excited to be here today. I’ll be more excited in 24 months or less to take a train north.”
“The initiative to bring passenger rail to New River Valley started 13 years ago during the Gov. Bob McDonnell administration,” said Dr. Raymond Smoot, Co-Chair of the New River Valley Passenger Rail Initiative. “Virginia is now regarded nationally and even internationally as a real leader in bringing back passenger rail as a transportation alternative.”
Mike McClellan, Senior Vice President of Norfolk Southern, took the podium and thanked the Governor on behalf of the 20,000 Norfolk Southern employees.
“On the 12th of December 2021, passenger rail service started between Norfolk and Boston,” recounted McClellan. “Since then, Norfolk Southern has introduced eight additional passenger trains and that’s a record that should be the envy of every state in the United States. That’s something that everybody would like to have. I know because they all talk to me. I’m in charge of passenger services.”
McClellan went on to predict that passengers would be boarding an Amtrack train at the Cambria station by Christmas 2026, and that, “this is a shining example of what we can do when public and private work together.
“There have been a lot of twists and turns in the track to get here and I think for all of us, there have been some times in which we worried that the train was going off the rails,” said Delegate Chris Obenshain. “But fortunately, everybody involved in this project has worked together at every level with a shared vision to make this day possible.”
“A lot of us go to these ribbon cutting, shovel events and they’re always exciting, but they’re not usually emotional,” said Congressman Morgan Griffith. “About four years ago, we lost my friend and college roommate, Wally Nelson, who was a big part of this. He wasn’t alone. There were hundreds that were involved. But he did get me involved, and I will always be appreciative, because he was right. I was not a believer in the beginning, (state senator) John Edwards eventually won me over. You can’t get to Christiansburg on rail if you don’t go through Roanoke. And John made that happen.”
Griffith then referred to the original plan to build a passenger rail station next to the Uptown Christiansburg Mall. The plan was eventually rejected because it involved constructing a tunnel, which would have put the project way over budget.
“When they announced the other location, I was like well, I wish they’d use that beautiful old train station in Cambria,” said Griffith. “And I’m reminded of a Porter Wagner song, ‘What is to be will be, and what ain’t to be, just might happen.’ And in this case, what ain’t to be, is happening. And I’m excited to be here with all of you to celebrate this great day, because I think we’re going to have a gorgeous station!”
Senator Tim Kaine followed by asking, “Did anyone read ‘The Little Engine That Could?’ And what was the motto of the Little Engine that could. ‘I think I can. I think I can. I think I can pull up that hill.’ Well, it’s a long hill to climb from Roanoke to Christiansburg. This is a ‘I think I can project,’ and I’m so excited to be here to celebrate it.”
“What a day for us to gather here together and celebrate a multi-decade commitment to restore passenger rail service to Christiansburg,” said Governor Youngkin, after receiving a standing ovation upon his entry from all in attendance.
Youngkin talked about the first passenger rail trip he took with his family in 1979, when he was 13 years old.
“My sister and I still talk about that trip,” said Youngkin. “That moment with our parents … the time sitting there playing cribbage with my dad. It was a moment of shared experience that is unlike any travel experience that we can have. That is what we are re-opening today.”
Youngkin commended Virginia Secretary of Transportation Shep Miller for his “creative” efforts in making passenger rail possible in the Commonwealth, noting that Miller was able to cut $100 million from the $700 million estimated cost of the project. Changing the location of the passenger rail station from the mall area to Cambria also reduced the project timeline from 2030 to 2027 and possibly to late 2026.
“Passenger rail service in the Commonwealth of Virginia is critical,” emphasized Youngkin. “It was critical to connect Norfolk and it’s critical to connect Richmond to Petersburg. It’s critical to connect Washington to Roanoke and it is critical to go through Christiansburg on the way to Bristol. This is critical! It also requires a lot of investment, and that requires everyone to pull together. The trip to Bristol is going to require collaboration with Tennessee, but it’s on the drawing board, and that’s something that I’m hoping we have a chance to really bring to fruition. That will require the next administration to keep pushing.”
Youngkin went on to say that rail service will provide a “great alternative” to traveling on I-81, which is slated for $4 billion in construction projects and will result in travelers seeing “a lot of orange cones.”
“We are moving into a phase of implementation now,” said Kevin Byrd, Executive Director of the NRV Regional Commission and Director of the New River Valley Passenger Rail Authority.
“The New River Valley Passenger Rail Station Authority, which includes seven localities and two universities, is going to jointly own and operate the station building. The NRV Regional Commission is the staff support for that organization. We’ve done the studies and we’re providing the administrative support to help execute the project. This is by far the most successful public, private citizen collaborative that we’ve ever seen.”
When renovations are complete, the Cambria train station will have 150 parking spaces and four bus bays.
“So, you’ll be able to take bus service from Blacksburg transit, Radford transit and Pulaski Area Transit to the train station,” said Byrd. “Theoretically, you can go from the town of Pulaski to anywhere in the world when you connect into this train system.”
Will passenger rail ever make it to Pulaski?
“We haven’t been able to get into that officially yet,” Byrd responded. “Trains are going to overnight in Radford. The trains will be cleaned and serviced there and the agreement says they can consider passenger service after 2030.”