| Washington District | ||||||||||||||||||||
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 Map | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Overview | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Status | Active | |||||||||||||||||||
| Owner | Norfolk Southern | |||||||||||||||||||
| Locale | Virginia | |||||||||||||||||||
| Termini | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Service | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Type | Freight rail, Inter-city rail | |||||||||||||||||||
| System | NS | |||||||||||||||||||
| Operator(s) | Norfolk Southern, Amtrak | |||||||||||||||||||
| Technical | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Number of tracks | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge | |||||||||||||||||||
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The Washington District is a Norfolk Southern Railway line in the U.S. state of Virginia that connects Alexandria and Lynchburg. Most of the line was built from 1850 to 1860 by the Orange and Alexandria Railroad, while a small portion in the center opened in 1880 as the Charlottesville and Rapidan Railroad. Today, the line is mainly used for freight service, but Amtrak's Crescent, Cardinal and Northeast Regional passenger services use all or part of the line, and the Virginia Railway Express Manassas Line commuter service uses the northernmost portion of the line.