Virginia pitches $75 million plan for train to Richmond

With the prospect of high-speed rail at least six years off, Virginia officials want to spend $75 million on an intermediate step that they say could become reality in half that time: a conventional passenger train from Norfolk to Richmond, The Norfolk Virginian-Pilot reports.

Thelma Drake, director of
the state Department of Rail and Public Transportation, told the Hampton Roads
legislative caucus that the money would be spent on upgrading the existing
Norfolk Southern tracks, now used solely by freight trains, for passenger
service. She said the train, with a top speed of 79 mph, could be in service
within three years.

In an interview later,
Drake said the state is still pursuing high-speed rail service, but that is a
much more expensive proposition and depends on federal funding. In the
meantime, she said, she believes there is a growing public appetite for an alternative
to the automobile.

"There’s been a sea
change," said Drake, a former congresswoman from Hampton Roads. "The
public and our elected officials have come to understand that we just can’t
build enough roads. They want us to expand their transportation choices."

When and if high-speed rail
– at speeds up to 150 mph – becomes possible, she said, the existing track could
be further upgraded to accommodate it.

Money for the conventional
rail service would come from the Rail Enhancement Fund, an existing pool of
state money that comes from a tax on rental cars. Under law, the fund can be
used to finance 70 percent of rail projects, with the remaining 30 percent
coming from railroad companies or other sources.

The state budget proposal
approved by the House of Delegates contains a provision waiving the requirement
for the 30 percent non-state contribution, allowing the state to pay for the
entire project. That provision is necessary, Drake said, because "there’s
no foreseeable source for the 30 percent." Norfolk Southern is not willing
to contribute, she said, because the passenger service would not be profitable
enough.

There is no similar
language in the Senate budget plan, but Drake said she hopes the Senate will
concur with the House as the two chambers resolve their differences. The
project is also contingent on federal approval.

The $75 million would pay
only for track upgrades. Money would still need to be found for two stations,
at Harbor Park in Norfolk – where the track would tie into the light-rail line
now under construction – and at Bowers Hill in Chesapeake.

The service would be run by
Amtrak, the national passenger rail operator. It would offer one round trip
daily, with possible later expansion to three trains. It would be the first passenger
rail service from Norfolk since 1977. Amtrak runs two passenger trains daily
from Newport News.

If the light-rail line
under construction in Norfolk is eventually extended to the Virginia Beach
Oceanfront, Drake said, "This would let you leave Washington or New York
for a beach vacation and never get in a car. It’s very exciting."