The Virginia Railway Express (VRE) has officially opened its new Lifecycle Overhaul and Upgrade (LOU) Facility, which allows the commuter rail service to perform expanded maintenance onsite in Spotsylvania County, Virginia.

The LOU features a drop table to remove locomotive and railcar trucks and wheelsets; wheel truing machine to reprofile rolling stock wheelsets; overhead bridge crane with two lift points – one with a 5-ton and the other with a 30-ton capacity; and two tracks, each holding up to four locomotives or railcars. At 33,000 square-feet, the LOU can accommodate technological advances to both railcars and locomotives, as well as the machinery used to maintain VRE’s
rolling stock.

Partnering in the development of the facility were the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority (VPRA) and the Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DPRT). VPRA’s purchase of the east side of the rail corridor allowed for additional tracks to be laid and construction completed faster.

The facility’s $52.7 million budget included construction of the LOU building, acquisition of 19.5 acres of adjacent property, construction of three additional storage tracks, and upgrades to electrical power and water distribution systems.

-via Press Release