CHRISTIANSBURG, Va. – For the past year, Virginia Passenger Rail Authority has been doing construction on the old Cambria train station, in hopes of giving people another way to get off the roads.
With a budget of $71.5 million, construction began right after a groundbreaking ceremony for the Amtrak rail extension into the New River Valley last year.
Now, new renderings show off a new parking lot along with an elevated platform to help with accessibility.
“They don’t have to drag their suitcases up the stairs into the train. They can just walk right on board,” Karina Romero, Communications Manager of the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority. “It’s also great for accessibility, for those that may have issues with the stairs. They’ll be able to just walk on board the train.”
Another update is on what Romero calls a Radford layover facility.
“Because Christiansburg is going to be at the end of the line for the Roanoke route, we’re going to be turning the trains there every day,” Romero said. “So when we turn them, we have to clean them, prepare them, put food in the cafe car, get ready to depart the next day. So those trains will lay over there at Radford.”
The hope is that with the new train station, it makes some locations easier to get to.
“This Amtrak Virginia route actually will go from the New River Valley all the way up to Washington, making stops along the way: Charlottesville, Culpeper, Alexandria, into Washington, D.C. Then the train will continue on to the Northeast Corridor,” Romero said. “So you’ll be able to take the same train and the same seat from Christiansburg all the way to Boston if you want to.”
Meanwhile, New River Valley drivers will have a new way to get around while clearing up the roads for those who are behind the wheel.
“We know our trains don’t go everywhere, but if we give those who can’t take the train the option of taking the train, that will lessen the traffic for those people who do have to drive,” Romero said."
The expectation is that the train station will be ready by late 2027.