CHESAPEAKE
Ending months of discord between South Hampton Roads and the Peninsula, regional leaders on Friday agreed to push for bringing much-coveted high-speed trains to Southside Virginia.
The Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization endorsed routing the trains south of the James River through Suffolk and Norfolk, while at the same time improving conventional passenger rail service on the Peninsula.
"We've managed to come together in a way that should enhance passenger rail to both sides of the water," said Norfolk Mayor Paul Fraim, who has taken the lead advocating for high-speed rail.
Hampton Mayor Molly Ward said, "Sometimes you need to make compromises and move forward."
If state decision-makers concur and funding is secured, trains capable of traveling 110 mph could run along the freight corridor that roughly parallels U.S. 460. There would be stops in Bowers Hill, near the Suffolk and Chesapeake border, and Harbor Park in Norfolk, where the line would connect with light rail.
On the Peninsula, additional trains and service improvements would be added to the twice-daily Amtrak passenger service that roughly follows Interstate 64 into Newport News.
Cost and ridership estimates have not been released.
Both would link with train service in Richmond and Petersburg and beyond along the I -95 corridor. The state's first rail priority is upgrading service to high speed between Petersburg and Washington at $1.8 billion. High-speed trains already run from Washington to New York City and Boston.
With only five months before applications are due to federal authorities for a share of an $8 billion stimulus fund for high-speed rail, the Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization held a special meeting Friday to try to come to a consensus.
The vote was unanimous. Elected leaders from four Peninsula localities, including Newport News and Williamsburg, were not present.
Ward said the support was not there for designating the Peninsula as the region's high-speed rail corridor.
"You do what's best for the region and the commonwealth," she said. "You don't make any progress when you just say no."
Connecting to the expanding high-speed rail network is critical to the region's future economic viability, leaders say.
The vote will be forwarded to the Commonwealth Transportation Board, which will select the preferred route before March. That board is not bound to follow the planning organization's recommendation.
March is the deadline for applying for the federal stimulus money. Applications totaling $102 billion already have been submitted nationwide.
The Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation has studied alternatives for bringing higher-speed rail to Hampton Roads for four years.
The results of that study are under review by the Federal Railroad Administration and are expected to be released soon.
One of the options is the scenario endorsed by the local planning organization. Others include upgrading the current Amtrak service on the Peninsula to high speed and initiating conventional rail service in South Hampton Roads; and just upgrading the Peninsula train service without southside service.
The state has not released the price tags of the various alternatives but said they range from $330 million to $844 million.
State and local leaders acknowledge that it would be difficult to go from no service to high-speed service on the south side.
Instead, it is likely that rail service would be introduced in phases, starting with conventional passenger rail at 79-90 mph, moving to emerging high-speed rail at 90-110 mph, possibly to regional high-speed rail at 110-150 mph.
Virginians for High Speed Rail, the state's leading rail advocacy group, supports emerging high-speed service to both sides of Hampton Roads.
Debbie Messina, (757) 446-2588, debbie.messina@pilotonline.com
Delicious
Digg
Reddit
Facebook
Google
Yahoo
My View
First off, I must say that Seweden runs things differently. Our political hacks are not trying to model after them, they're trying to model after Canada, or other countries where these experiments have been tried and failed.
I was at the meeting last Friday. I beleive that high-speed rail is innovative and will offer us another alternative if we ever had to evacuate due to a storm.
I come from Springfield, Mass., where there were 14 trains a day, and local buses every 20 minutes. There is no reason why we cannot have that. We are much more important than Springfield is, bigger, and more populated. We have more improtant things than they do, from ivy league schools, to military facilities to a small, but important financial district in downtown Norfolk. A proper city or region has a good transportation infrastructure, from bridges to trains. Our services SUCK. It is time to stop bickering and start doing.
We need tolls, fare increases, and other funding revenues to fix our problems. So, let's get the first track laid NOW for this rail service.
I believe there are existing tracks that parallel the 460 corridor, and we could use those. Just turn them into a right-of-way
How about a rail crossing??
Yes, it would be expensive, but it might be the single biggest boon to development since the building of the original James River Bridge in 1928. Maybe, just maybe it will be part of a 21st Century WPA....
What does it cost & who will ride it?
There are many questions that need to be answered before this "idea" can be considered worthy of tax dollars. Given the economy, perhaps now is not the time to consider spending hunreds of millions of dollars on another "want" instead of cutting government spending and lowering the tax burden? How much will each ticket be subsidized by taxpayers that are not riding the train? Who is expected to ride this train - and for what purpose?
Given the economy, now is precisely the time...
Given the economy, now is precisely the time to undertake such public works. And considered on a level playing field, subsidized rail makes much more sense than subsidized automobile transportation. The gas taxes are not nearly adequate for maintaining the existing highways, nor do they pay for new construction. And that is just maintenance and construction costs. Not factored in are the environmental, social and business costs of automobile travel, which include not only the emission of greenhouse gases, but also conventional particulate and gas pollution, but also inefficient land use (a four track rail line is no wider than a modern two-lane highway, and much narrower than a modern interstate). Then too, there are costs associated with the suburban sprawl spawned by the automobile and the business costs of employing workers frazzled by increasingly rough commutes. Having ridden rail frequently to, from and within the Northeast, I can attest to its superiority over messing around with I-95 and similar roads.
Riders
Probably the many gov't people who must travel frequently from the military bases here to DC, and now travel either via commuter air. (Been there, done that), or drive regurlarly. Vacationers in the summer, between VB and DC, (assuming you let the light rail be built from Norfolk to VB). Richmond would only be a way stop for many of those.
I wonder how many homes,
I wonder how many homes, businesses and property will be condemned up 460?
No homes or businesses will be condemned, most likely
No homes or businesses will likely be condemned with these projects. Remember, the tracks exist right now; these rights of way have been used by the railroads since the 19th century. It is primarily a matter of upgrading signaling systems, raising the outside rails on curves, and finding a reasonable scheduling arrangement with the current freight railroads (who own the tracks). In places, new stations might be built, but it is unlikely that eminent domain would be used for such facilities, as the land adjacent to railroad tracks is generally cheap. Not only that, but there are probably parcels of land adjacent to the tracks that had formerly been occupied by stations before the previous passenger services were discontinued in the 1960s.
High Speed Rail
HRTPO has stepped up to the crying need for Hampton Roads to provide a regional voice in transportation. Bravo. This is the ONLY way we can move forward.
Now the feds and the State (no friend of Hampton Roads) has our position in writing. We can move forward to compete for federal funds to build High Speed Rail to Hampton Eoads - as federal funds built the interstate highway system fifty years ago. BRAVO!
The next step is to open the door to access for us to NC and the Southwest (Raleigh to Atlanta and Raleigh to Jacksonville, FL). Hampton Roads was forced into a cul de sac by the Interstate Higway system, but we can and should be on the Main Line for East Coast High Speed Rail. So said the younger generation at the Public Comments on Friday! Bravo.
Great Route without crossing the Chesapeake Bay
Great Route without crossing the Chesapeake Bay
Now if they could only make 460 an Interstate Highway.
460 An Interstate?
Route 58 would be a better choice for an Interstate. 460 would empty on Richmond bypass and I-64 already empties on to the bypass. The traffic jam would be so large nothing would move around Richmond during a major storm here. I would not like to sit in a car while a major storm passes overhead.
We need a INTERSTATE east/west route to/from SOUTH Hampton Roads. 460 needs upgrading but not like an Interstate.
Rt. 58 upgrade would cost far less since it is already a 4 lane divided highway and rebuilt to almost Interstate standards.
Addendum to previous
460 crosses I95 at Petersburg, after crossing the southern end of the bypass. But saying that it empties there is like saying that route 13 empties onto I64, instead of just crossing it.
460 exit
Uh, 460 empties on I95 at Petersburg.
Happy Happy Joy Joy!
This is great news and much needed for Hampton Roads! Looking forward to taking the train to DC from Norfolk and not sitting in traffic for days on 64.
It should read 'regional
It should read 'regional appointees'. The word 'leader' used in the contect of this story is definitely a misrepresentaion of the facts.
I have not elected a leader only a representative!
This is the problem Democrats Dictate / Republican Represent!!
Great news about trains but what about BETWEEN Hampton Roads
When are they going to connect the two areas. I have been dreaming about light rail between the peninsula and south Hampton Roads for years. Now that they are actually creating this for Norfolk to VB when are they going to provide it to the areas that could really use it - all areas that need to cross tunnels to enter or exit south Hampton Roads. Wouldn't this go a long way to help w/transportation? Then would the concern of two separate rail systems be so great? How about one high speed train with more frequent running schedules?
I know I am just a dreamer...
No hope for a Hokieville express
You can leave on that midnight train to Charlottesville but you still can't get to Blacksburg. The train whistle only blows ""wa-hoo-wa, "wa-hoo-wa".
Future thinking
Some people are seeing the writing on the wall: gasoline prices are only going to go UP. Revenues to keep up with road improvements and expansions will continue to be difficult to obtain. It is much cheaper to maintain a rail line, even doubled, than a four lane freeway, especially on flat ground that gets a lot of rain.
Right now, as it is, people are limited to two different ways of driving between Hampton Roads and Richmond, unless you want to fly there. Another method of transportation that doesn't burn up as much fuel that gets you between the two places within two hours that is reasonably priced will be appreciated by many people. For the long run, this is a brilliant idea.
To Richmond
You are pretty much right on driving to Richmond. However, you could take your boat up the river, if you have a place to dock when you get there. Not nearly as much traffic, either!
Agreed
I completely forgot about that route. Yes, I can see how you wouldn't run into any traffic too. Any ideas as to how long it takes by small motor boat?