Author: Uriah Kiser

Amtrak will cut most Virginia-to-Washington rail service in October for tunnel work, while Manassas closes a public lot tied to data center construction, lawmakers clash over license-plate cameras, and veterans ask a court to stop a proposed arch at Arlington National Cemetery.

Virginia Mercury reports that Amtrak will suspend most rail service between Virginia stations and Washington, D.C., from Oct. 16 through Oct. 26 to replace aging switches and crossovers at the A-interlocking in the First Street Tunnel. The existing equipment is beyond its service life and has forced a 10 mph speed restriction; passengers traveling to or from D.C. from the south should expect cancellations and route changes, with many trains ending at Alexandria and most trips to Richmond, Charlottesville, Lynchburg and Hampton Roads handled by express buses.

Prince William supervisors return this week to a data center overlay vote as Dominion’s contracted load tests the regional grid, nearby voters weigh a school-construction sales tax, and Labor Day travel rules take shape on I-95.

According to InsideNoVa, Coles District Supervisor Yesli Vega said she has not yet taken a position on how long a grace period should last if the Board of County Supervisors ends by-right data center development in the Data Center Opportunity Zone Overlay District. The Planning Commission will rehold its public hearing Sept. 9 after a notice problem, and the board is scheduled to consider the zoning text amendment Sept. 22; Vega called the end of litigation over the PW Digital Gateway “a sigh of relief” after QTS dropped its Virginia Supreme Court appeal and said she still supports keeping land-use decisions with local governments rather than Richmond.