State Rail Authority

State-Owned Railroads
All rail lines are privately owned except for the state-owned:

• South Branch Valley Railroad (52 miles)
• Wheeling Terminal Line (3 miles)
• West Viginia Centrel Railroad ( ? miles)

The three largest railroads operating in the state (1993):

• CSX Transportation (1,469 miles)
• Norfolk Southern (598 miles)
• Conrail (233 miles)

Rail Freight
Almost all rail traffic in West Virginia is freight.
The top three commodities:

1. Coal (95%)
2. Chemicals (2%)
3. Non-metallic minerals (2%)

Passenger Train Service
Two Amtrak routes, the Cardinal and the Capitol Limited, both provide service to Chicago and Washington, D.C

One commuter rail line, called MARC (Maryland Mass Transit Administration), runs from Martinsburg to Washington, D.C., with stations in West Virginia at:

• Martinsburg
• Duffields
• Harpers Ferry
  

  Several tourist excursion trains run in parts of West Virginia:

  • Cass Scenic Railroad, Cass, Pocahontas County
  • Potomac Eagle Scenic Railroad, Romney
  • WV Northern Railroad, Kingwood
  • New River Train, weekend excursions in October through southern WV
  • Cheat Mountain Salamander, Chest Bridge, Pocahontas County
  • Tygart Flyer, Belington, Barbour County
  • Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad, Durbin, Pocahontas County

   

Rails to Trails
Approximately 172 miles of abandoned rail lines are being protected and redeveloped for recreational transportation – hiking, biking, horseback riding. Most notable are:

• Greenbrier River Rail Trail, 75 miles in Greenbrier and Pocahontas counties
• North Bend Rail Trail, 71 miles between Clarksburg and Parkersburg

West Virginia Department of Transportation Division of Highways Public Affairs Division
Building 5, Room A-137 • 1900 Kanawha Boulevard, East • Charleston, WV 25305-0430
Phone: (304) 558-0103 • Fax: (304) 558-9131  
General information and/or questions, please email tlively@dot.state.wv.us