WASHINGTON — A nine-day shutdown of a critical rail junction just south of Union Station is scheduled to begin after Friday’s last trains, interrupting Amtrak service between Washington and Virginia and forcing Virginia Railway Express commuters to change their routines next week.
Amtrak plans to close a network of switches and crossovers inside the First Street Tunnel, for nine days after service ends October 16. The work is scheduled to conclude before trains resume Monday morning, October 26. The junction directs rail traffic between Union Station and the tracks running south into Virginia.
Virginia Railway Express said it expects to operate its normal Fredericksburg and Manassas line schedules Friday, October 16. But from Monday, October 19, through Friday, October 23, its morning trains will terminate at L’Enfant Plaza rather than Union Station. Afternoon departures will also begin at L’Enfant Plaza.
Amtrak intercity passengers will face more extensive changes as some Northeast Regional service will operate only north of Washington, and a limited number of Virginia trains will terminate at Alexandria. Buses will link selected Virginia services with Union Station, and several longer-distance routes will operate only on portions of their usual itineraries.
The Carolinian is scheduled to run by train between New York and Washington and separately between Alexandria and Charlotte, with a bus connection across the gap. Other affected routes include the Cardinal, Floridian, Silver Meteor, Palmetto and Crescent.
Amtrak says the existing junction’s switches and crossovers are beyond their service life and have required a 10-mph speed restriction. Crews plan to replace those components, rehabilitate the track base and install updated electric switching equipment. The confined tunnel makes a series of smaller shutdowns impractical, according to the railroad.
The railroad has advised passengers traveling south of Washington to expect cancellations, reduced service and revised connections. VRE’s posted Friday-morning service alert confirms that its regular Union Station service will continue through Friday before the weekday changes take effect Monday.
