 Quantico, VA | Northeast Regional | Alexandria, VA  |
Woodbridge is an original VRE Station from when the system opened in 1992 that also receives service from some of the Northeast Regional Trains that connect points north of Washington, DC with Richmond, Norfolk and Newport News, as a full Amtrak station (not just for VRE Amtrak Step-Up program) customers.
Reviewing timetables in the Amtrak timetable museum, it appears Amtrak first began servicing Woodbridge between the October 31, 1993 and May 1, 1994 timetables. The station was even a stop on the Carolinian in at least 1996.
The station was rebuilt and received a second platform (allowing both tracks to platform) in 2010 with the opening of a new platform and pedestrian bridge. This pedestrian bridge has come under fire from railroad passengers because the station is unstaffed and lacks a decent passenger communication system with extremely old and hard to hear speakers so knowing what track your Amtrak train will arrive on is a guessing game to run down to one platform or the other. I still remember watching a passenger run all the way around to the pedestrian bridge when I was riding the last southbound Northeast Regional to the old Newport News station and my train stopped on the western track 3 instead of the normal VRE track 2. (All the other stations, except Quantico and Fredericksburg that are only serviced by VRE have just one platform along western track 2). Googling this issue results in the most suggested strategy to simply camp out on the pedestrian bridge while they wait for their train to arrive.
The station itself consists of two low-level side platforms for the two-track mainline. The newer Track 3 platform has a green canopy structure that covers about two train cars. The platform itself can accommodate up to a 6 to 7 car train.
All access to this platform is from a single green glass enclosed structure. This structure holds up the station's pedestrian bridge that crosses high above the platforms and connects to the top story of the station's five-story parking garage with no direct access to the platform for Track 2. There is an intermediate landing on both the elevator and staircase through this glass enclosed structure that leads two a secondary kiss & ride pick-up and drop-off loop just off Richmond Highway (US-1). This highway was renamed from the racist-named Jefferson Davis Highway between 2020 to 2022. This Kiss & Ride is basically a little loop with an unused bus stop, (with a concrete island) and a two line vehicle pick-up and drop off area. There is also full sidewalk access and connections.
Track 2 is the original platform and contains the rest of the station's infrastructure. It is slightly offset to the south but significantly shorter at four train car lengths compared to the seven cars the Track 3 platform that can accommodate. Amenities along this platform are a canopy structure that covers two train cars along with a secondary smaller shelter towards the northern end of the platform containing another TVM and the weelchair mobile-lift. Above the northern end of this platform, the already mentioned pedestrian bridge crosses over the platform with no direct access to the platform (making it even harder for passengers to run around when their trains come on track 3 and this isn't well communicated). This bridge leads directly to the top floor of the parking garage, sharing a staircase and elevator down to ground-level at the southwest corner of the parking garage. At ground-level is an exposed to the element's walkway to the platform.
The station's main, and only other Track 2 platform entrance is in the middle of the platform. Here a completely covered walkway leads back to a small modern but trying to look old brick station building. There is a clock tower with a wethervane on its roof. Inside are two closed interior areas with an open air central area. One of these closed concession areas used to host the Destination Station coffee bar that operated from 2016 to 2023 or 2024 (a sign announcing the closure of the restaurant was dated August 9 when I visited in September 2024). The walls have lots of brick with a “The Seal of Prince William County” on the building. This leads out to walkway with a few steps or a ramp along the southern side of the depot down to a fairly busy bus loop and some Kiss & ride parking spaces across from the bus stops. This bus loop includes multiple Omniride buses (including express bus via I-95 to the Franconia-Springfield Metro station for off-peak trips). There is also Greyhound bus service stopping at the station.
A covered walkway, just above the bus loop (with a middle staircase down to it) connects the parking garage with the main station, providing a fully canopied (albeit indirect) walkway between the station platforms and the parking garage. There are also three flagpoles between the bus loop and this walkway.
Signage at the station is the modern Red for the Fredericksburg Line VRE standard. There is one Amtrak (thank you for riding Amtrak on the back) information panel-style sign along the walkway connecting the parking garage and station building next to a VRE System Information sign. There is also a Greyound sign in the widow of the station telling passengers to visit Greyound.com and the dogs phone numbers that are different for English or Spanish.
Photos 1-40: September 6, 2024;
