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NOVA Parks has rejected renewed calls to consider passenger transit along the Washington & Old Dominion Trail, declaring that converting any part of the 45-mile corridor would conflict with its recreational and park use.
In a March 11 statement, the regional park agency said similar proposals had been examined previously and found unworkable. Executive Director Justin Wilson confirmed the agency’s opposition.
The response followed dozens of requests to the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission to study a commuter rail line alongside the trail, which stretches from Purcellville to Shirlington. On March 5, commission board members asked Executive Director Kate Mattice to contact Wilson about the proposal.
NOVA Parks said it sees no way to add transit without affecting the trail’s roughly 2 million annual users. Instead, the agency is prioritizing the removal of invasive species, support for native plants, expansion of separated paths for cyclists and other users beyond Falls Church, and safer trail crossings through overpasses and traffic controls.
Agency leaders described the corridor as both a distinctive recreational resource and an important natural space.
The Northern Virginia Transit Revitalization Advocacy Coalition, known as NOVA-TRAC, said it was surprised and disappointed that the idea had been dismissed without a new analysis. The community group began campaigning in 2024 to restore train service along the W&OD right-of-way.
NOVA-TRAC said it is seeking only a neutral, state-led feasibility study to determine whether rail and trail operations could coexist and what benefits passenger service might bring. The coalition emphasized that conducting an engineering and planning review would not commit the region to construction.
Support for such a study gained momentum in February 2025, when the Town of Hamilton became the first Northern Virginia locality to endorse it. Advocates contend that rail service could attract more trail users while encouraging investment in the corridor.
The coalition also says its rail-with-trail concept has backing from residents, businesses and community organizations. It urged NOVA Parks to support an objective review so the public could evaluate the potential benefits, concerns and transportation effects.
Passenger trains stopped operating on the Washington & Old Dominion line in the early 1950s. Freight service continued for more than 15 years before owner Chesapeake & Ohio Railway received federal approval to close the unprofitable operation.
Virginia considered buying the right-of-way for transit in 1965 and again in 1967. Although the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission supported the concept, it was never carried out.
The corridor was ultimately sold to Virginia Electric & Power Co., now Dominion Energy. The utility retained the land it needed for power lines and sold the remainder to NOVA Parks, which was then called the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority.
Wilson, a former Alexandria mayor, took charge of NOVA Parks last year, succeeding longtime Executive Director Paul Gilbert.