The Virginian-Pilot
©
NORFOLK
Three Hampton Roads congressmen say local cities need not squabble over whether a proposed high-speed rail line should come down the Peninsula to Newport News or parallel U.S. 460 and end in Norfolk.
"We should work for both routes," said U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Newport News, adding that building both is clearly affordable.
U.S. Reps. Glenn Nye, D-Norfolk, and Rob Wittman, R-Westmoreland County, agreed, noting that Hampton Roads would benefit from improving the existing passenger line on the Peninsula and adding rail service on the Southside. The lawmakers talked about the issue Wednesday after a Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce luncheon at a Norfolk hotel.
"I think it would be worth looking at both," said Nye. It's imperative, he said, that Norfolk be included in any plans for high-speed rail to Hampton Roads.
City leaders on the south side of the James River said recently that they favor a route extending from Richmond along the U.S. 460 corridor to downtown Norfolk. Many Peninsula leaders have favored running a high-speed train between Richmond and Newport News along the existing Amtrak /CSX route.
A Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation study due this summer is considering alternatives for connecting Hampton Roads to "higher-speed" rail with a maximum speed of 90 mph. The South side route would cost $475 million to build, and the Peninsula option $330 million, according to preliminary estimates confirmed by rail and public transportation officials.
A third option, to extend the Peninsula line across the river to Norfolk, was estimated to cost $600 million. But that figure is based on a 4-year-old study.
Wittman, whose district stretches up the Peninsula to suburban Washington, D.C., said building both passenger routes would be a better use of funds than extending a rail line across the James River.
Scott acknowledged it would be difficult to choose between the two routes if it came to that. When asked whether he was willing to support a route that didn't include the Peninsula, he said, "It would be awkward."
Before considering a Hampton Roads rail project, state officials want to upgrade rail service between Rich-mond and Washington. More than $8 billion in federal stimulus money has been earmarked for high-speed rail projects nationwide.
Bill Bartel, (757) 446-2398, bill.bartel@pilotonline.com
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I agree
I agree with some of the comments about the future of the high speed rail. I think that the high speed rail should be connected to Portsmouth from Newport News. I don't think that it will be a good idea to try to connect Newport News to Norfolk. Norfolk should just be patient and focus on getting their Light Rail up and running. In the mean time, Norfolk needs to connect the light rail to Portsmouth whether its though the old Jordan Bridge area or the Midtown area. That is greatly needed right now. Once a station or two in Portsmouth is a connection point for the high speed rail and the light rail, we will see progress in our transportion situation.
"Headin' for the station
"Headin' for the station with a pack on my back
I'm tired of transportation in the back of a hack
I'd love to hear the rhythm of the clicketty clack
and hear the lonesome whistle see the smoke
from the stack and pal around with a democratic fellow named "Barack"
take me right back to the track Jack.
Choo choo, choo choo, ch'boogie
woo woo, woo woo, ch'boogie"
I changed a word or two but I'm for it, but against light rail at the beach.
Let's have a steam locomotive... Now that's a train with a large carbon footprint.
Another part of the equation
How many folks along Route 460 and up towards Richmond will have their private property condemned for this "affordable" high speed rail. I can't imagine wanting to take a high speed train to the district of criminals just for something to do.
sooooo slowwwww
would you like to guess how long the trip to DC would take?? 8 hours..at least, no thank you. Beside I agree with Dr T.....if it's financially viable private industry will build it..
OK Dreamers
Can we wake up now? Where will the money come from? This isn't a plan that most people will likely use, and I don't see a way for it to pay for itself, say gas tax, tolls, etc. So, how will it be paid for?
How long to build?? Let's get this thing going!!!!!!
The state took 20 years to finish the stretch of road by Hampton coliseum.
Provide service all the way to the Naval Station and Ocean Front. Think about it… to be able to board a train and go all the way to DC. Heck how many trips to the Smithsonian can you do with out having to drive driving? Awesome! How many day trips can some one in DC come to the beach? How many Workers can commute from James City County to Norfolk-Chesapeake??? The line that uses the CSX rails needs to come all the way across the HRBT with a stop at the Naval Station and on to Virginia Beach. It can make a few stops at TRT bus stations once it’s on the south side. I’d personally use it multiple times a week, especially my son who attends VCU.
Southside to Portsmouth via 460 and new 164 median rail line
Putting heavy rail through a tunnel will never be economically viable, and the population on the Peninsula simply doesn't support high(er) speed rail. Much of the area around the existing rail on the Peninsula is so congested & developed I'm suprised the cost of rebuilding it to Acela standards is so low. But the southside route could save some cost by sharing the CSX line in the median of 664 and 164 which is almost complete and free of grade crossings. It would take a rail bridge parallel to the West Norfolk bridge to get it to Old Town, but that's a heck of a lot cheaper than crossing the James River. The passenger ferry (with some much needed schedule and facility improvements) could connect to Downtown Norfolk, at least until they find money to extend light rail across the Elizabeth.
Rail transport
Rail transport is the most efficient way of moving anything over land, especially over long distances. It will become more popular as fuel prices continue to climb. The problem with development of better rail transport in America isn't regulations put on the industry but the lobbying of the trucking, airline and automobile industries. This is another case where the government does have to take the lead and provide direction and incentives for the development of better rail transport, for both cargo and passenger service. This does not mean the government should be in the railroad business, but provide incentives for private industry to do more to develop and support it, much like it did with the first transcontinental railroads and the airline industry when it was getting started. Such support and incentives probably won't happen until fuel prices are much, much higher, then it will be a case of playing catch-up.
Anything involving AMTRAK...
ought to be taken out of the equation. Until the govt does the right thing and sells it to an enterprise competent enough to run it right, anything depending on it or connected to it will suffer as well.
Not to get off track here (pun intended), but all those believers and advocates of the govt taking over key industries (health care, automakers) should take a long, hard look at AMTRACK to see how well the govt does in such endeavors. If they have any comprehension at all, the experience should be quite sobering!
Let Dagny Taggart decide
If there is justification for high speed rail to Richmond, government need only remove regulatory barriers and private investors will build it.
As fuel costs make air travel more costly, it is likely that high speed rail will become viable for certain routes, but it will be better if the marketplace determines which routes those are, rather than politicians with provincial interests trumping economic efficiency.