ROANOKE (WSLS) - The city of Roanoke is preparing for passenger rail to come to the Star City by 2017.
City manager Chris Morrill says crews will start working on the tracks in January. He says the city is working on replacing a culvert which goes underneath the platform.
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In addition, a lot of other plans go into preparing for passenger rail such as improvements to the actual tracks and designing the train station.
"We're doing a lot of planning on what the platform and serving facility will look like which enables us to bring the service here," says Jay Mcarthur, Amtrak. "DRPT (Department of Rail and Public Transportation) has been working closely with Norfolk Southern and working on infrastructure to bring passenger train service here."
The state is also a big help in bringing passenger rail back to Roanoke. Governor Terry McAuliffe was in the Star City Wednesday afternoon to kick off the first phase of construction.
"When that first train pulls up in our new station we're all gonna be there it'll be exciting but it's gonna open up the area economically," says Gov. McAuliffe.