Virginia will receive $729 million in federal funding to finance the Long Bridge project, making possible a long-awaited two-track passenger rail bridge over the Potomac River between Arlington and D.C. The new bridge will double Amtrak’s capacity and dramatically increase VRE service to D.C. from Fredericksburg.

The new bridge will sit next to the existing Long Bridge, which currently operates at 98% capacity and is a major choke point for Amtrak, VRE, and freight trains crossing from Arlington to D.C. The current bridge is owned by CSX Transportation, a freight rail company, and it carries 1.3 million Amtrak passengers and 4.5 million VRE commuters each year.

Adding a new span has been a longtime goal for officials in the D.C. region, who first announced the project would move forward in 2021.

“Long Bridge is like the skinny piece in the hourglass. Long Bridge is the connection between the Northeast and the Southeast,” said Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine at a gathering announcing the new funding. “There’s nothing that can really happen in terms of growing our rail usage, both for passenger and freight, if you don’t deal with Long Bridge.”

Construction is expected to be complete by 2030. Once open, the new bridge will allow for three additional Virginia Amtrak trains, a doubling of the current capacity on the line between D.C. and Richmond. The project could have an even more significant impact on VRE commuter trains coming into the city from Fredericksburg, increasing service by 75%, including new weekend and late night trains.

The Long Bridge project is a key part of Virginia’s Transforming Rail initiative, an ambitious $4.4 billion vision to invest in passenger and freight rail in the commonwealth. It will also include station improvements and an additional track for VRE trains in L’Enfant Plaza in D.C., and new tracks, bridges and station improvements for passenger trains between D.C. and Richmond.

“There’s going to have to be additional dollars from a combination of sources, but this really unlocks the whole project,” Sen. Mark Warner said.

Recently-announced federal support will also add passenger rail infrastructure between Richmond and Raleigh, North Carolina, further connecting Virginia and D.C. to points south.

The $729 million comes from the bipartisan infrastructure law passed in 2021. Warner and Kaine previously announced $20 million in federal support for a new pedestrian and bike bridge between Arlington’s Long Bridge Park and East and West Potomac Parks in D.C. The D.C. region as a whole is expected to see as much as $20 billion in transportation infrastructure investment from the law.

A who’s who of Virginia politicians — including Warner and Kaine, four congresspeople, Gov. Glenn Youngkin, and several members of the General Assembly and Northern Virginia governments — participated in a cold but enthusiastic celebration of the announcement on Thursday morning at the Long Bridge Aquatic Center in Arlington.

The officials paused in their victory speeches to cheer as VRE and Amtrak trains passed by in the background.

“Every train that we’ve seen go by this morning is a train that’s had to queue up. It’s a train that’s had to find its slot. It’s a train that’s had to manage capacity. And that’s what this is all about,” said Youngkin, just before an Amtrak train passed behind him.

Arlington County Board member Takis Karantonis, who welcomed the officials to Arlington, brought a prop that summed up the official mood: a bright yellow VRE safety vest with the words “TRAINS ARE COOL” stenciled on the back.