Buckingham Branch Railroad

Norfolk & Portsmouth Belt Line Railroad #5260 crossing Elm Ave. Portsmouth, Virginia. At U.S. Norfolk Naval Shipyard.5260 is painted a commemorative scheme as part of the Norfolk Southern, Heritage Program. (David E. George III/Wikimedia Commons)

STB to NS: Proposed NPBL Acquisition Is ‘Significant’ Transaction (UPDATED 7/11)

The Surface Transportation Board (STB) on March 14 reported that it will review Norfolk Southern’s (NS) proposal to acquire Norfolk & Portsmouth Belt Line Railroad Company (NPBL), a Virginia S&T (switching and terminal) railroad, as a “significant” transaction. NS in June provided the STB-required supplement to its acquisition application, and on July 7, the Board accepted the application as complete and set a procedural schedule.

Buckingham Branch Railroad to Acquire Rail Lines From NS

Buckingham Branch Railroad Company (BBRR) has filed a verified notice of exemption to acquire from Norfolk Southern (NS) approximately 58.1 route miles of a railroad line extending from milepost F86.0 at Burkeville, Va., to milepost F65.8 at Keysville, Va. (historically known as the F Line), and from milepost D0.0 at Keysville, Va., to milepost D37.9 at Clarksville, Va. (historically known as the D Line) from the Class I railroad, according to a Nov. 17 Federal Register report.

Another Step Closer to North Carolina/Virginia HrSR

A $47.55 million grant has been awarded to the North Carolina Department of Transportation for the purchase of CSX’s S-Line rail corridor from Raleigh to Ridgeway, N.C., near the Virginia state line, which will eventually contribute to higher-speed rail (HrSR) service to the Southeast.

Buckingham Branch launches Norfolk Division

Buckingham Branch Railroad on Aug. 1 launched its new Norfolk Division, which will serve the Norfolk, Va., region via a seven-mile line linking Coleman Place in Norfolk with Little Creek in Virginia Beach, Va.