Virginia Railway Express cuts ribbon on Fredericksburg rail station improvements

The Virginia Railway Express (VRE) has cut the ribbon on recent improvements to the Fredericksburg rail station. The improvements enhance the passenger experience, increase safety for VRE riders and pedestrians and restore the iconic image of the station and surrounding infrastructure. 

The $14.4 million project included rehabilitating the existing platforms, stairs and all four rail bridges, constructing new stairs to provide direct access from the platform to a parking lot, improving ADA access to the west side elevator, adding signage, sidewalks and lighting and refreshing the platform canopies and other areas with paint. 

The improvements have succeeded in restoring the Fredericksburg rail station and surrounding structures to a state that closely mirrors their appearance nearly a century earlier. They also will help maintain the structural integrity of the station and bridges in the decades to come. 

“At VRE, we take great pride in our stations – particularly those, like the one in Fredericksburg, that hearken back to another place in time,” said VRE CEO, Rich Dalton. “The recent outpouring of unsolicited comments from riders, local businesses and residents and other stakeholders reinforces that this project has exceeded expectations.” 

“The benefits of these improvements go beyond the station itself,” said Matthew Kelly, former member of the VRE Operations Board and current member of Historic Fredericksburg Foundation, Inc. “They help relieve traffic congestion and provide economic development and tourism opportunities while preserving the historic character of the city, which is critical to its future.” 

The Fredericksburg Station Improvements Project is part of the commonwealth’s $4 billion Transforming Rail in Virginia initiative and among the first to be completed since the program was announced in 2019. 

“The upgrades at the Fredericksburg station, in particular the extended platforms, will significantly enhance the passenger experience at the station,” said DJ Stadtler, executive director of the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority (VPRA). “This kind of infrastructure improvement complements the work VPRA is doing to improve passenger rail service along the corridor between Fredericksburg and Washington, D.C. We look forward to partnering with VRE on future projects as we expand service through Fredericksburg and the commonwealth.” 

"Transforming Rail in Virginia is a multifaceted project – we can add new stations, lay more track and put more trains on those tracks to connect those stations,” said Jennifer DeBruhl, director of the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation. “However, we need to make sure that in creating additional options and alternatives, we implement them with all Virginians in mind. VRE, here at the Fredericksburg station, has taken a massive leap forward toward doing just that.”