The launch of infrastructure work, ordinarily a mundane topic, drew a round of applause in downtown Roanoke on Monday evening at the first official update in months on the planned resumption of passenger rail.
By early next year, crews will take on a block of improvements needed before the train service commences in 2017, a state official said.
One piece is a passenger boarding platform near Norfolk Avenue and First Street. Another piece is a building to support the work of custodians and mechanics who will service the train during overnight parking. A third piece is reinforcements to the city’s underground infrastructure.