Passenger rail rolls closer to reality in Norfolk, Va.

Shipyard workers paused to wave at the passengers aboard a Norfolk Southern passenger train as it made a slow start through the backyards of Chesapeake homes and over the waters surrounding the Norfolk, Va., Naval Shipyard, the Suffolk News Herald reports. The grey and blue piles of freight soon turned to a blur of green and red - the colors of summer turning to fall - as the train picked up speed through the Great Dismal Swamp and continued over Lake Cohoon and through miles of cotton and soybean fields.

It had been more than 30
years since the public had boarded a passenger train and witnessed the turn of
fall while traveling from Norfolk to Petersburg along the lines of the Norfolk
Southern. That is an opportunity, however, that could soon be commonplace. On Oct.
21, the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce brought a group of more than 200
people aboard the train for a tour of the passenger service it hopes to open in
less than three years.

"We wanted to raise
visibility in the Hampton Roads community in light of the advancements of
passenger rail soon to be restored to the area," said Ira Agricola, senior vice
president of the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce. "We’re just a few years
from having it here, and we want to encourage people to think about passenger
rail as an alternative to using the highway."

The Commonwealth
Transportation Board set aside $93 million for passenger rail service along the
Route 460 corridor. The money would be used for improvements to the existing
Norfolk Southern lines, which currently are used for freight, to allow Amtrak
passenger trains to run on the tracks. The track covers 154 miles, beginning at
Harbor Park in Norfolk. It cuts through Chesapeake and Suffolk, goes behind the
Suffolk Golf Course, over Route 58 and runs parallel to Route 460 all the way
to Petersburg.

Passengers would be able
to continue their journey on Amtrak to Richmond, Washington D.C., and up the
East Coast.

The resurrection of
passenger rail from Norfolk to Petersburg holds exciting possibilities for the
City of Suffolk, in particular, officials said. In July, City Council members
passed a resolution to ask the Virginia Department of Rail and Public
Transportation to consider placing a passenger rail stop in Suffolk on the rail
line. In Suffolk, the track runs parallel to Railroad Avenue and Hall Avenue. A
committee is considering a variety of possibilities for the so-called "western
stop."

"The goal of a western
stop would be to reduce congestion," said Thelma Drake, director of the
Department of Rail and Public Transportation. "We don’t want people from Great
Bridge or beyond driving into Norfolk to take the train to Richmond. It creates
unnecessary congestion, which is exactly what we’re trying to reduce by putting
in passenger rail. It doesn’t make sense for people to drive east to take a
train west."

An ideal western stop
would have "good road access" and a "good population," Drake said.

Besides the City of
Suffolk, Drake said Isle of Wight County also submitted a request to be
considered as the western stop.

Suffolk Mayor Linda
Johnson and Suffolk City Manager Selena Cuffee-Glenn, who were both present on
the ride, said a western stop in Suffolk could be a catalyst for a host of
advancements.