Victoria Point Railway

Victoria Point Railway (reporting mark VPRY) is a Class II regional railroad operating in South Carolina and Georgia, United States. As of writing, VPRY has over 1,000 employees and 600 miles of track, and is headquartered in Charleston, SC. It operates an extensive passenger service with a heavy commuter operation out of Charleston Union Station, serving 101 stations across the system. There are over 250 locomotives on the roster.

History

Victoria Point Railway was formed on January 1, 1969 by the sale of three ex-Seaboard Coast Line lines, which consisted of the old Seaboard Air Line mainline between Little River, SC, and Savannah, GA, and several associated branch lines. At the time, all of these lines were suffering from deferred maintenance, and passenger numbers were declining. After major investment, the mainline was in good condition by 1971. VPRY refused to join Amtrak on May 1, 1971, continuing to run its own passenger services. The hostile attitude from Amtrak ended in 1982, and since then through services have operated to great success.

Freight traffic was sparse at first. The largeest customers at first were a steel mill and oil refinery, which still account for a large portion of carload freight. For many years, executives pursued every potential customer, and this paid off. In 1974, the first Flying Wren intermodal service ran between Charleston and Savannah, followed by service to Myrtle Beach the next year.

Commuter service upon formation was sparse and run with then-unreliable first-generation diesels. Rolling stock consisted of worn-out coaches dating from the 1910s. Over the course of the 1970s, new coaches joined the fleet, and the old power was rebuilt. In 1994, VPRY bought 25 ex-Burlington Northern E9As which took over all commuter runs. The commuter fleet has since expanded.

The railroad expanded over the years, gaining the Port Royal Railroad in 2006, and a large area of Norfolk Southern trackage in 2023. The ex-NS lines include the former Charleston District to Columbia, Cosgrove Yard, and a network of branch lines. In 2001, VPRY gained trackage rights on CSX between North Charleston and Kingstree, in order to begin commuter service.

Operations

Victoria Point Railway operates freight and passenger trains on most of its network.

Passenger trains

Passenger trains can be divided into commuter, regional, long-distance, and mail trains.