Rail chief hopeful for success of Norfolk-to-Richmond line

NORFOLK

Thelma Drake, state rail chief, is confident that the passenger train set to roll out of Norfolk in three years will rival the success of the recently launched Lynchburg service.

The Commonwealth Trans-portation Board last week approved $93 million to upgrade tracks between Harbor Park in Norfolk and Staples Mill s tation near Richmond for the Amtrak service.

"We think it's money well- spent," Drake, director of the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, said last week. "And we think we'll have Lynchburg-like success."

Ridership for the Amtrak service launched in October out of Lynchburg is double the projections, exceed ing its annual ridership goal in just six months, with 55,025 passengers. The annual goal is 51,000. The train follows the Interstate 81/U.S. 29 corridor through Charlottesville to Washington, then on to cities in the Northeast.

Drake said South Hampton Roads, which is rich in military operations with links to Washington, is underserved by rail. The closest train station is in Newport News.

State officials are working with Amtrak to develop ridership projections and operating schedules for the Norfolk trains.

The plan for South Hampton Roads is one daily round trip operating out of a transportation center to be built at Harbor Park, where there will be light rail, ferry and bus connections. Norfolk is applying for a federal stimulus grant for developing the transportation center.

The train would leave Harbor Park early in the morning, with Richmond as the first stop. The train would continue to Washington and beyond, eventually to Boston. A train would return to Norfolk later in the day from the Washington area or beyond.

A Norfolk passenger will have what's known in the industry as a "one-seat ride" - a trip without having to change trains - as far as Boston.

The train, however, will not stop in Bowers Hill. A separate planning process for high -speed train service calls for using currently abandoned tracks through parts of Portsmouth, Chesapeake and Suffolk, which would allow a Bowers Hill station.

Instead, the conventional Amtrak train, with a top speed of 79 mph, will use Norfolk Southern tracks slightly south of Bowers Hill through the Great Dismal Swamp. The passenger trains will share the right-of-way with freight trains; crossovers will be built so the trains can pass each other along parallel tracks.

While the service will launch with one round trip, the state has taken steps to later expand service, Drake said.

Meanwhile, a dedicated source of operating money needs to be identified by state lawmakers before the service can begin. The General Assembly authorized up to $6 million to support the operating costs of the Lynchburg train through 2011.

An effort is under way to evaluate potential sources of state operating funds for passenger rail. That information is due back to the General Assembly for the 2011 session.

Amtrak trains throughout the United States operate with public subsidies because they're not self- sustaining.

"Look at all the money we put into roads and they don't pay for themselves," Drake said. "None of it pays for itself."

A public investment in transportation has other benefits, including improving quality of life and stimulating economic development, she added.

"There needs to be multiple public transportation choices," Drake said. "You can't just build roads."

Debbie Messina, (757) 446-2588, debbie.messina@pilotonline.com