Washington District

The Washington District is a Norfolk Southern Railway line in the U.S. state of Virginia that connects Alexandria and Lynchburg.

[2] The line crosses the Rappahannock, Rapidan, South Fork Rivanna, Tye, and James Rivers.

[4][5] The extension south to Lynchburg was completed in 1860, with a short section in between that was part of the Virginia Central Railroad.

By 1881, several mergers had made it part of the Virginia Midland Railway, which in 1886 was leased to the Richmond and Danville Railroad.

[8] As of June 2024[update], the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority is negotiating with Norfolk Southern to purchase the portion of the line between Broad Run and Alexandria.

The Manassas station on the Washington District
The Washington District crossing the James River
The Orange and Alexandria Railroad (highlighted) in 1852. The Washington District follows these two segments plus an additional bypass line connecting them that was built in 1880.