New River Valley train station progressing
At the future New River Valley passenger rail station in Christiansburg, construction is chugging along — or on track, or full speed ahead, or whichever metaphor you prefer.
The project, announced in 2024, aims to extend Amtrak train service southwest from Roanoke in 2027.
At the historic Christiansburg station in Cambria, contractors have begun pouring concrete to create columns to support the new train platform, according to the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority.
They’ve also built much of the substructure of the parking lot.
Electrical wiring is starting to be run, and a signal to tell a train engineer when to stop and when to go has been installed.
In Radford, where a layover facility will service and store trains overnight, layover tracks are being placed and crews have installed rail, ties, switches and more.
“Despite last month’s winter weather which slowed crews down as they shifted focus to snow and ice removal, progress on the project continues smoothly,” the rail authority wrote in a recent update.
VEDP refreshes website
The Virginia Economic Development Partnership has rolled out a refreshed website with a new home page and updated pages for the life sciences and food and beverage manufacturing sectors.
Stephen Hartka, the VEDP’s senior vice president of marketing, communications and research, said in a social media post on Sunday that the agency wanted to do something different at a time when “too many sites rely on long inventories of assets and a familiar parade of superlatives.”
“Instead, we’re aiming for sharper messaging that clearly explains why Virginia’s value proposition matters for companies. That means translating our strengths into what they actually mean for growth, speed, and risk reduction,” Hartka wrote.
More updates are anticipated this fall. You can see the new website here, and for comparison, an archived copy of the old website here.
Wise County Animal Hospital announces closure
After nearly four decades in business, the Wise County Animal Hospital has announced that it will close because it’s unable to find a veterinarian to work there.
The staff of the animal hospital in the town of Wise said on social media on March 4 that the decision “did not come easily.”
“We have explored every possible option to continue operating, but despite our best efforts, we have been unable to find a veterinarian to work in the clinic. Without one, we simply cannot continue providing the level of care your pets deserve,” the animal hospital wrote.
March 27 is expected to be the hospital’s last day of operation, according to the post, although it noted that staff would continue trying to find a veterinarian.
Publix moving along
A reader asked us for an update on the Publix under construction at 4449 Brambleton Ave. in Roanoke County.
The store is anticipated to be 50,324 square feet and will employ approximately 130 people, according to a company spokesperson.
Unfortunately, there’s no grand opening date to share at this time. We’ll continue to keep an eye on the project.
If there’s a story you’d like an update on — or if you have an update to share — please reach out: matt@cardinalnews.org.