B-Line (Norfolk Southern)
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The B-Line is a railroad line owned and operated by the Norfolk Southern Railway in the U.S. state of Virginia. The line runs from Manassas west to Edinburg[1] along a former Southern Railway line. Its east end is at the Washington District, and it crosses the Hagerstown District at Front Royal. Since the 1999 breakup of Conrail, when Norfolk Southern acquired the Lurgan Branch from the north end of the Hagerstown District into Pennsylvania, the B-Line east of Front Royal has been a major connection, allowing traffic on the Washington District to bypass Washington, D.C.
[edit] History
The Manassas Gap Railroad opened in 1854 from Manassas to Harrisonburg, past the current end at Edinburg.[citation needed] It became part of the Southern Railway and Norfolk Southern through leases and mergers.