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West Virginia

5 buyers · 3 tenders · checked 2026-10-08

State Rail Authority lines plus three short-line CRISI awards; no metro or commuter buyer and no open rail tender on 8 October 2026.

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0Metro systems operating
5Buyers tracked
3Tenders tracked
5Cities tracked
Live pipeline
$19.44m CRISI Appalachian & Ohio tunnels, track and locomotives (grant, bidding next); $22.8m CRISI Winchester & Western mainline (grant, announced October 2024); $6.9m CRISI Belpre Industrial Parkersburg bridges (grant, announced October 2024)
Technology areas
Track & civil, Rolling-stock hardware, Signalling & train control

Key figures

Freight network2,312 milesWest Virginia's freight rail network per the December 2020 State Rail Plan: two Class I railroads (CSX 1,056 and Norfolk Southern 586 route miles owned) and 12 regional and short line railroads.
1 source · primary
  • ● West Virginia State Rail Plan, December 2020 · The State Rail Authority's plan: governance, FY2021 general-fund appropriation, network mileage, freight railroads, MARC and Cardinal service, Class I route miles (published 2020-12 · checked 2026-10-08)
Authority FY2021 budget$4.9 millionState general-fund appropriation to the State Rail Authority for fiscal year 2021, covering staff, insurance, MARC station upkeep and capital projects on its lines (State Rail Plan, December 2020).
1 source · primary
  • ● West Virginia State Rail Plan, December 2020 · The State Rail Authority's plan: governance, FY2021 general-fund appropriation, network mileage, freight railroads, MARC and Cardinal service, Class I route miles (published 2020-12 · checked 2026-10-08)
State-owned lines184.5 milesThe Authority owns the 52.4-mile South Branch Valley Railroad and the 132.1-mile West Virginia Central Railroad; OmniTRAX has operated the first since 1 December 2023 under a 40-year WVDOT lease and a private operator runs the second under contract.
4 sources · 3 primary
CRISI grants to short lines$49.1 millionFRA CRISI awards read for West Virginia short lines: $19.44 million to the Appalachian & Ohio (FY2022), $22.796 million to the Winchester & Western and $6.912 million to Cathcart Rail (October 2024), summed here from the three published grant figures.
2 sources · all secondary
Cardinal Corridor ID award$500,000FRA Corridor ID award to Amtrak, started 1 April 2024, for the first step toward daily Cardinal service between New York and Chicago; the figure is a multi-state planning award and is not carried as a West Virginia tender.
1 source · primary

Buyers

BuyerTypeTendersContracts awarded
Appalachian & Ohio RailroadFreight railroad10
Cathcart Rail, LLC (Belpre Industrial Parkersburg Railroad)Freight railroad10
Winchester & Western Railroad Acquisition, LLCFreight railroad10
West Virginia Division of Multimodal Transportation Facilities (Rail Section)State DOT00
West Virginia State Rail AuthorityInfrastructure manager00

Tenders

TenderBuyerStatusValue bandNext key date
A&O CRISI Tunnels, Track and LocomotivesA&OPre-bid$5–25m
Winchester & Western Mainline RehabilitationWinchester & WesternPlanned$5–25m
Belpre Industrial Parkersburg Bridge RepairsCathcart RailPlanned$5–25m

Cities

CityNetwork statusNetworks
MoorefieldHeadquarters of the State Rail Authority and of the South Branch Valley Railroad; its largest customer is a feed mill in the town.
MartinsburgWestern end of the MARC Brunswick Line weekday service into West Virginia and a stop for the Capitol Limited; the Winchester & Western grantee is based here. A Federal grade-separation planning study is funded at the WV 45 crossing.
BuckhannonHeadquarters of the Appalachian & Ohio Railroad, whose Grafton to Cowen line is being rebuilt under a CRISI award.
ParkersburgWest end of the Belpre Industrial Parkersburg Railroad's Ohio River bridge, which holds a CRISI repair award.
CharlestonState capital, seat of WVDOT and a Cardinal stop three days a week; a Corridor ID award funds planning toward daily service.

Withheld in the free surface

  • Capex in this region (3)
  • Live pipeline value (3)
  • Market narrative

Full detail withheld: 3 fields. In the United States edition · See a fully open example

  • Marc agreement (2)
  • Grade crossing planning (2)

Full detail withheld: 2 fields. In the United States edition · See a fully open example

Sources

  • ○ Senator Capito's office, grant funding for two West Virginia railway projects, 25 October 2024 · Congressional release naming two CRISI awards: Winchester & Western Railroad Acquisition, LLC and Cathcart Rail, LLC (Belpre Industrial Parkersburg Railroad), with amounts and project scope. Secondary: the FRA's own award table was not reachable (403) (published 2024-10-25 · checked 2026-10-08)
  • ● WVDOT DMTF Rail Section page · WVDOT page: history of the Authority from 1975, its 2022 move into the Division of Multimodal Transportation Facilities, rail section functions, State Rail Plan links (published undated · checked 2026-10-08)
  • ● Federal Register notice, STB Docket FD 36716, 27 September 2023 · Surface Transportation Board notice: OmniTRAX continuance in control of OmniTRAX SBVR, LLC; records the 52.4-mile line owned by the West Virginia Rail Authority (Docket FD 36717) and lists The Winchester and Western Railroad Company among the 22 carriers OmniTRAX controls (published 2023-09-27 · checked 2026-10-08)
  • ● West Virginia State Rail Plan, December 2020 · The State Rail Authority's plan: governance, FY2021 general-fund appropriation, network mileage, freight railroads, MARC and Cardinal service, Class I route miles (published 2020-12 · checked 2026-10-08)
  • ● State Rail Authority, wv.gov agency directory · The State's own agency entry: functions of the Authority, ownership of the South Branch Valley Railroad (52.4 miles) and West Virginia Central Railroad (132.1 miles), MARC station role, Moorefield office (published undated · checked 2026-10-08)
  • ● USAspending award 69A36524520680FSPDC (FRA Corridor ID, Amtrak Cardinal) · FRA record: 500,000 dollars to Amtrak for the first Corridor ID step toward daily Cardinal service between New York and Chicago via Virginia and West Virginia, performance 1 April 2024 to 30 January 2026 (published 2025-07-22 · checked 2026-10-08)
  • ○ WDTV, federal grant funds rail tunnel repairs near Abbott, 18 August 2026 · Local television report of the groundbreaking at Abbott Tunnel: 19.44 million dollar FY2022 CRISI grant, final design approved, competitive bidding next, nine tunnels in 12 to 18 months. Secondary (published 2026-08-18 · checked 2026-10-08)

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Compiled by Watchtower to editorial standards the Managing Partner sets and enforces. Public record only — every datum carries its source.