ALEXANDRIA, Virginina — Virginia Railway Express representatives and dignitaries gathered at the Fredericksburg rail station Tuesday to celebrate recent improvements that 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 resembles their appearance nearly a century earlier. They will also 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 the commuter railroad’s 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 the Historic Fredericksburg Foundation Board “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.”
