Manassas Line

Manassas Line
VRE train in Manassas station.
Overview
Type	Commuter rail line
System	Virginia Railway Express
Locale	Washington, D.C., Fairfax County, Virginia, Prince William County, Virginia
Termini	Union Station (Washington, D.C.) Bristow, VA
Stations	10
Operation
Opened	June 22, 1992
Owner	Norfolk Southern Railway, CSX Transportation
Operator(s)	Virginia Railway Express
Technical
Line length	35 miles
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
Route map Legend MARC, Northeast Corridor, Amtrak to New York, and Boston Washington First Street Tunnel L'Enfant Potomac River Crystal City Alexandria Fredericksburg Line, Amtrak to Richmond, The Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida Backlick Road Rolling Road Burke Centre Manassas Park Manassas Broad Run Amtrak to Lynchburg, New Orleans, and Chicago

The Manassas Line is a Virginia Railway Express commuter line that extends from Washington, D.C. to Bristow, VA.^[1] Service began on the line on June 22, 1992, and is the first of VRE's two lines to open when the new commuter railroad was established. The line comprises trackage owned by both CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern Railway.^[2][3] VRE trains are companied by trains from these railroads as well as from Amtrak.

History

Prior to VRE trains providing commuter service to the area, the only passenger rail service was provided by Amtrak with their Crescent service that operated between New Orleans, LA and New York, NY. Amtrak inherited this train from the Southern Railway, a predecessor to Norfolk Southern and original owner of the line south of Alexandria, VA. The Crescent stopped at Alexandria and Manassas stations on the line, as it still does today.^[4]

In 1984, planning began for a commuter rail service for the area and 8 years later after many new stations were constructed, Virginia Railway Express began operating trains on the line. In 2009 Amtrak extended their Northeast Regional service to Lynchburg, giving stations of Manassas and Burke Centre additional service.^[5]

Stations list

State	Town/City	Station	Connections
District of Columbia	Washington	Union Station	Amtrak: Cardinal, Capitol Limited, Carolinian, Crescent, Lake Shore Limited, Northeast Regional, Palmetto, Silver Meteor, Silver Star, Vermonter, Thruway Motorcoach to Charlottesville, Virginia MARC Train: Penn Line, Camden Line, Brunswick Line VRE: Fredericksburg Line Metrorail: Red Line Metrobus, Loundoun County Commuter OmniRide MTA Commuter Bus: 915, 929
		L'Enfant	Metrorail: Green Line, Yellow Line, Blue Line, Orange Line VRE: Fredericksburg Line
Virginia	Arlington	Crystal City	Metrorail: Yellow Line, Blue Line VRE: Fredericksburg Line WMATA Metrobus Arlington Transit Fairfax Connector Loundoun County Commuter OmniRide Commuter
	Alexandria	Union Station	Amtrak: Cardinal, Carolinian, Crescent, Silver Meteor, Silver Star Virginia Railway Express: Fredericksburg Line Metro: Blue Line, Yellow Line
	Springfield	Backlick Road	Metrobus: 18E Fairfax Connector: 321, 322, 401, 402
	Burke	Rolling Road	Metrobus: 17L
		Burke Centre	Amtrak: Northeast Regional Metrobus: 17B & 17L VRE EZ Bus: North & South
	Manassas	Manassas Park	OmniRide Commuter: OmniLink Manassas Park
		Manassas	Amtrak: Cardinal, Crescent, Northeast Regional OmniRide Commuter: Manassas Metro Direct, OmniLink Manassas
	Bristow	Broad Run/Airport

References

1. ^ "VRE System Map". http://www.vre.org/service/schedule.htm. 
2. ^ "NS Piedmont Division, Washington District". http://www.trainweb.org/varail/nspied.html. 
3. ^ "Central Virginia Railfan Page, CSX RF&P Subdivision". http://www.trainweb.org/varail/csxrfp.html. 
4. ^ "Amtrak Routes - Crescent". http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?c=AM_Route_C&pagename=am%2FLayout&cid=1241245668168. 
5. ^ Amtrak (January 14, 2010). "Burke Centre Now An Amtrak Stop". http://www.drpt.virginia.gov/news/details.aspx?id=479. Retrieved 2011-09-28. 

See also

RF&P Subdivision Fredericksburg Line