Warner, Kaine secure $100 million in funding for rail bridge in Franconia-Springfield

U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine on Thursday announced $100 million in federal funding to design and build the Franconia-Springfield Bypass, a rail bridge that will alleviate congestion on one of busiest railways in Virginia.

Once completed, the project will allow Amtrak and Virginia Railway Express trains to cross over two freight rail tracks, preventing delays and expanding capacity for additional service.

https://www.insidenova.com/headlines/wa ... 338a3.html

For context, the Franconia-Springfield VRE station has tracks on both sides of a two track line. Lorton's VRE station is on the eastern-most side. The bridge will let VRE and Amtrak switch sides so it doesn't stop traffic having to service from the wrong side.

Oh, and they're going to put in a third track eventually.

STrRedWolf
For context, the Franconia-Springfield VRE station has tracks on both sides of a two track line. Lorton's VRE station is on the eastern-most side. The bridge will let VRE and Amtrak switch sides so it doesn't stop traffic having to service from the wrong side.

Oh, and they're going to put in a third track eventually.

Seems to me it would cheaper and far simpler to build a second platform on the other track at Lorton, When the third track is added place it between the tracks served by the platforms. Any way you slice it one or both of platforms at the various VRE station will have to be rebuilt to accommodate the wider 3 track alignment.

Back in the day when the Pennsylvania Railroad ran train on what is now the Amtrak NEC the middle track(s) were primarily use by freight trains

I think every station VRE built is a single platform on the eastern main (meaning they would need to rebuild every station to avoid eventually getting over to that side). Since CSX needs to be on the eastern Maine through Alexandria and Washington, this bridge would be needed somewhere to allow VRE and Amtrak to not conflict with CSX when those lines separate in DC unless every station were to be rebuilt to be on the western main.

The original VRE stations on the Fredericksburg line were indeed built with only one platform, but Woodbridge got a second platform some years ago, and Franconia-Springfield was built with two, I think. Fredericksburg, Quantico, and Alexandria already had two platforms before VRE started.