Virginia issues RFP for manager of Atlantic Gateway rail projects

2/9/2017    

Rail News: MOW

The Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) has issued a request for proposals (RFP) from firms or a team interested in managing the rail infrastructure projects under the Atlantic Gateway program.

A mandatory pre-proposal conference on the RFP is set for Feb. 13 in Richmond, according to the RFP. Final responses to the document are due March 15, according to the proposal.

Virginia's Atlantic Gateway is a $1.4 billion, multimodal collection of rail and highway projects designed to address bottlenecks and reduce travel times on the Interstate-95 corridor between Washington, D.C., and Fredericksburg, Va.

In September, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced the Atlantic Gateway infrastructure projects qualified for a $165 million grant under the federal Fostering Advancements in Shipping and Transportation for the Long-term Achievement of National Efficiencies (FASTLANE) program.

The program's first component involves rail and infrastructure projects, including:
• Construction of 6 miles of a fourth main line track from the south bank of the Potomac River to Alexandria, Va. (Long Bridge, Phase I). The new main line would add rail capacity to the most heavily used rail line in Virginia.
• CSX's dedication of an abandoned rail line between Petersburg and the North Carolina line to Virginia. Known as the S-Line, this corridor is an integral part of the Southeast High Speed Rail corridor.
• Constructing a third main line track on CSX's freight corridor between the Franconia/Springfield Virginia Railway Express Station to the Occoquan River in Fairfax County.
• Advancing engineering and design for the Long Bridge project.
• Designing and installing two universal track crossovers south of Fredericksburg in Caroline County, which would increase Amtrak's flexibility to meet and pass freight traffic; accommodate the Southeast High Speed Rail corridor; and expand intermodal and freight-rail service.

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