GoRaleigh Bus System, now and the future

[keita]

This is really exciting!

…though, correction: the entire NoVA line is not going to become passenger-only; this is ONLY primarily true for the Long Bridge on the Potomac near DC.

@from the article - emphasis mine

[This deal] explains why those involved in the Long Bridge project have said for several months that the new span is expected to be designated primarily for passenger service.

BUT!! The DC2RVA line is only the second most important part of this article for all of us on this website. If you ask me, THIS is the exciting news:

@from the article

The [deal with CSX] also includes an additional purchase that could pave the way for future rail service beyond Richmond to North Carolina, and another that could provide for east-west rail service in the future between the Richmond and Charlottesville areas.

Virginia will get permanent passenger train rights on CSX tracks between Richmond and Petersburg, and take ownership of a 75-mile abandoned CSX rail line between Petersburg and Ridgeway, North Carolina.

I’m really curious about how Virginia’s DoT managed to pull this deal off, though. What made CSX say yes -and more importantly, can we adopt any part of their tactics for trains from Raleigh to Wilmington/Fayetteville/Asheville?