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Manassas Park backs Manassas Line Rail‑with‑Trail feasibility work and authorizes NVTA funding application
Summary
City staff and consultants presented a three‑mile Phase 1 feasibility study for a Manassas Line rail‑with‑trail linking Downtown Manassas, Manassas Park and Bull Run; staff requested and the council approved a resolution endorsing the NVTA FY26‑31 application for roughly $30 million in competitive regional funds.
Manassas Park endorsed Oct. 7 a Phase 1 Manassas Line Rail‑with‑Trail feasibility study and authorized submission of a Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA) FY26‑31 competitive application seeking approximately $30 million to build a three‑mile segment linking downtown Manassas to Bull Run through Manassas Park and Blooms Park.
Steve Hall, the city’s transportation program manager, said the phase would connect the VRE/Amtrak area of Downtown Manassas, run through Manassas Park and Blooms Park, and provide a new Bull Run crossing to reach NOVA Parks trails in Fairfax County. Hall said the project is included in regional planning documents and that the feasibility work included site visits, public outreach, alternative alignments, and 10 percent concept plans and cost estimates used in the NVTA application.
Kinley Horn consultant Kate Widnes summarized public outreach and preliminary alignment work; the study’s preferred alignment generally follows the Norfolk Southern/rail corridor where right‑of‑way conditions permit, uses a mix of boardwalk and natural‑surface trail in park segments and anticipates pedestrian bridgework at Bull Run. The consultant and staff noted multiple stakeholders had been engaged, including Dominion Energy, VRE/rail representatives, NOVA Parks and neighboring jurisdictions.
Hall told the council the NVTA 70 percent regional competitive funds require no local match; the NVTA application was authorized and the governing body approved a resolution endorsing the application and allowing staff to execute funding documents if awarded.
Why it matters: If funded, the project would create a multi‑jurisdictional trail connection that links regional transit and park systems, potentially expanding walking and cycling access to downtown Manassas and Manassas Park and better connecting neighborhoods to regional trails.
What’s next: The NVTA selection process will take several months; staff said decisions on the six‑year program are anticipated in approximately eight months. If selected, further design and right‑of‑way coordination with rail and utility owners would be required, including detailed engineering of the Bull Run bridge crossing.
