How track work at DC's Union Station will affect Metro Richmond train commuters in October

From Oct. 16 to 26, planned infrastructure upgrades south of Washington, D.C.’s Union Station will result in schedule adjustments impacting service to and from Virginia.

That will mean no northbound trains can enter Union Station in D.C.

All trains from Virginia, including Amtrak's Carolinian, will stop in Alexandria, and then buses will take travelers to Union Station to continue north if that's where they're going.

During the Oct 16 to 26 work window, track switches, tunnel infrastructure and electrical systems are being improved or replaced.

The outage will begin after the close of service Oct. 16 and conclude before service resumes on the morning of Oct. 26.

“At Union Station, when you go under the first street tunnel, you have a number of tracks that have to go down to two tracks, much like on a highway,” said DJ Stadtler, Virginia Passenger Rail Authority's executive director.

“There are a number of switches, and they take you from one track to another, that are all in a same tight area. It's called an ‘A-interlocking,’ It has not been replaced for a long time. A lot of the switches are still the old-fashioned air switches that run by air. Amtrak is going to replace that whole interlocking on those switches with electronics.They’re really taking the track out, putting brand new track switches in, so it's safer, more or less, prepared for the future.”

Amtrak is calling the construction a “Pause for Progress.”

The work will cause reduced service, train cancellations, route modifications and travel disruptions south of Washington, D.C.

For Virginia train travel, that means the Northeast Regional north of D.C. will operate as usual between Union Station, New York's Penn Station and Boston’s South Station.

South of D.C., the Northeast Regional will operate one roundtrip between Norfolk and Alexandria. There will continue to be one roundtrip between Roanoke and Alexandria.

The stop northbound trains stopping at Alexandria train station will not majorly inconvenience travelers traveling to the Nation’s Capital.

Washington, D.C. is easily accessible via Amtrak’s Alexandra Station at 110 Callahan Drive. Travelers simply need to walk 0.2 miles to the adjacent King St-Old Town Metrorail Station and take the Yellow or Blue Line, which runs every eight to 15 minutes and reaches downtown D.C. in approximately 20 minutes.

Additionally, for those continuing their train journey north, Amtrak Virginia will provide three roundtrip buses or a “Bus Bridge,” that will be timed to connect with trains between Alexandria and D.C.

Amtrak Virginia will also provide express bus service consisting of:

• 1 roundtrip: Roanoke, Lynchburg, Washington, D.C.
• 1 roundtrip: Charlottesville, Washington, D.C.
• 2 roundtrips: Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Newport News, Williamsburg, Washington, D.C.
• 1 roundtrip: Norfolk, Newport News, Williamsburg, Washington, D.C.
• 2 roundtrips: Richmond Staples Mill, Washington, D.C.
• 1 roundtrip: Richmond Main Street Station, Washington, D.C..

The Carolinian train route will be operating between New York and Washington, D.C., and also between Alexandria and Charlotte. Travelers will take a bus connection between Washington's Union Station and Alexandria.

The Virginia Railway Express will not be affected by the October construction interruption because those trains use a different tunnel to enter into Union Station, but VRE will run on a modified schedule during those nine days of construction in October.

Five long distance train routes – the Cardinal, the Floridian, the Silver Meteor, the Palmetto and the Crescent – will be interrupted or changed during the Oct. 16 to October 26

VPRA will also use Amtrak’s service disruption to maximize the work that can be completed on VPRA’s projects, including the Long Bridge Project and Alexandria Fourth Track project.

VRE routes will still be functioning as normal and are not affected, as VRE trains use different tunnels than the Amtrak trains.

Amtrak officials have communicated that through Pause for Progress construction train travelers will gain safer, more reliable rail service, fewer delays over time and a stronger, more dependable network.

Dina Weinstein is the Citizen’s community vitality reporter and a Report for America corps member, covering housing, health and transportation. Support her work and articles like this one by making a contribution to the Citizen.