Broad Run (Airport) is the terminus of the Manassas Line of the Virginia Railway Express. The station is located at the northern edge of the runways (and on the property of) the Manassas Regional Airport that last saw commercial airline service as commuter flights on Colgan Air to Washington-Dulles in 1990s.
There are current conversations about building a passenger terminal to restore scheduled commercial air service to the airport, but the location of the station basically just at one end of the greenery runway exclusion zone makes a direct rail-airport connection unlikely.
The station is a true Park & Ride station with no sidewalk access, although there is some industry on the opposite side of the railroad tracks. When I took the AM reverse-peak train I saw one passenger with an electric scooter getting off at the station that I assume was going to work in this area.
The stop consists of a single platform on a siding just off the two-track main line that Amtrak's twice-daily Northeast Regional trains to Roanoke, and long-distance Cardinal and Crescent trains use to continue southwest. Some trees divide the station platform from the mainline tracks. Just beyond the station platform the single track enters the train shortage yard and layover facility for the Manassas Line. trains This facility is empty during the middle of weekdays and completely full overnight and on weekends.
The platform itself contains two canopy structures, one towards either end of the platform. The canopy towards the southwestern end of the platform covers one car and extends out to the main entrance path in this area for the typical VRE station entrance, covering the station's TVMs. The canopy at the northern end of the platform is longer (covering about two cars). It contains a secondary entrance to a smaller parking lot that is separate from the main set of parking lots.
The station's parking capacity is large with 1065 parking spaces primarily in one parking lot with multiple stretches of greenery dividing up the parking lot. The parking lot has a primary entrance (with a nice Broad Run Commuter Rail Station Prince William County sign) from Observation Road, across from the fence of the airport with a secondary Roadway between trees through the back of the parking lots that leads to Piper Lane (that has its own sign) and crosses under the tracks to the Industrial Park on the opposite side of the tracks.
Photos 1-46: September 6, 2024;
