Railways were introduced in England in the seventeenth century as a way to reduce friction in moving heavily loaded wheeled vehicles. The first North American "gravity road," as it was called, was ed in 1764 for military purposes at the Niagara portage in Lewiston, New York.
Even though the Commonwealth is now the owner of significant rail right-of-way in Virginia by way of VPRA, rails-with-trails projects within these corridors must go through the same process.
Amtrak operates passenger trains nationally through three service lines: Northeast Corridor (NEC), Long-Distance, and State-Supported routes. The NEC, spanning 457 miles from Washington, D.C., to Boston, is heavily traveled, hosting various services and commuter rail operations.
The Virginia-led initiative, called Transforming Rail in Virginia (TRIV), is a $3.7 billion investment to improve passenger, commuter and freight rail in Virginia with the expansion of the Northeast Corridor into Virginia, creating a vital connection between the Northeast and Southeast corridors.
The Virginia Passenger Rail Authority (VPRA) is an independent authority created by the Virginia General Assembly in 2020 that, among other responsibilities, is responsible for delivering Transforming Rail in Virginia.
Network Rail is the owner and operator of the majority of national railway infrastructure. It must ensure safe and effective management and development of that infrastructure.
How Do I File my Virginia Annual Report? You can file your Virginia annual report online at the Virginia State Corporation Commission website's CIS (Clerk's Information System), or by postal mail. We recommend filing online—it's the quickest, most secure method.
Even though the Commonwealth is now the owner of significant rail right-of-way in Virginia by way of VPRA, rails-with-trails projects within these corridors must go through the same process.
The majority of track, and rolling stock, in the US is for freight hauling, and decades of consolidation and efficiency-building have reduced the country to only a small number of Class I railroads - each quite large, all privately held. They are: Union Pacific - 32,100 miles of route length, 8,500 locomotives.