The Virginian-Pilot
©
VIRGINIA BEACH
Building a light rail line from the Norfolk border to the Oceanfront could cost $807 million and is one of the least cost-effective transit extension options that Hampton Roads Transit is considering, according to documents released by the agency.
"It sounds like a lot of money," said Mayor Will Sessoms. "My gut would question whether the ridership would be there to justify the cost."
For a price tag of $67 million a mile, light rail to the Oceanfront in 2030 would draw about 5,000 riders a day from Virginia Beach and another 6,000 from Norfolk. That's about 2,000 more riders than HRT could reach with beefed-up and expanded bus service at the Beach. It is also questionable, based on the early ridership-versus-cost projections, whether a light-rail line to the Oceanfront would even qualify for federal transit money.
HRT released the preliminary information, gathered by a consultant studying the feasibility of bringing light rail to the Oceanfront, late Thursday at the request of The Virginian-Pilot.
The numbers are based on conceptual engineering plans that are only 5 percent complete and that include eight stations, five bridges and a vehicle storage facility. The $40 million that Virginia Beach has already spent on purchasing the Norfolk Southern right of way for a transit project is included.
HRT officials were scheduled to brief the Virginia Beach City Council on the results by HDR Inc., a Nebraska-based engineering firm, later this month.
But last week, HRT CEO and President Philip Shucet put an indefinite hold on the $6.6 million, federally funded study after national transit officials raised concerns about ridership estimates and proposals on phasing the Beach project.
The starter light-rail line under construction in Norfolk, which extends to the Beach city border, is over budget and running behind schedule. The $338 million, 7.4-mile line is expected to open later this year.
Shucet said he believes that the Beach study will be restarted in about two weeks.
The consultant and HRT need to further assess all the alternatives, Shucet said. They include bus rapid transit - putting buses along the same 12-mile corridor to the Oceanfront.
Other options include enhanced bus service, building shorter, less expensive segments of the light-rail line, or not doing the project at all.
"We're going to develop these alternatives to equal levels of details," Shucet said. Last fall, HRT officials started exploring shorter routes for the initial light-rail extension.
Bringing light rail from the Norfolk line to the Town Center area would cost $254 million. An extension from Norfolk's Newtown Road Station to near the Lynnhaven Parkway would cost $451 million.
Bus rapid transit in the 12-mile corridor would reach a similar number of riders as light rail but is estimated to cost about $450 million.
John Moss, the chairman of the Virginia Beach Taxpayer Alliance and a light-rail skeptic, said he is not surprised by the estimated costs and questioned whether they could go even higher, based on the overruns in Norfolk.
"It's never going to be affordable," Moss said.
But Beach officials, who have pegged much of the city's future land-use and economic development plans on light rail, argued that even at $807 million, the cost is cheaper per mile than building new highway interchanges and is in line with other light-rail projects in the United States.
According to an HDR report, comparable costs for light-rail projects range from $56 million to more than $212 million per mile across the country.
This initial study also doesn't account for the economic development potential of light rail or give as much weight as Beach officials would like to the tourism ridership, said Steve Herbert, a deputy city manager.
"For us, it's also about the development future of Virginia Beach," Herbert said.
Tim McCarthy, the president of Light Rail Now, which was recently launched to back the project, said the proposed price tag will make it more difficult to get support from residents. But he said he isn't deterred.
"I think it's something that we're going to have to consider very fully, very carefully," McCarthy said.
Deirdre Fernandes,(757) 222-5121, deirdre.fernandes@pilotonline.com
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Map: This shows the projected route of a light rail line in Virginia Beach and proposed locations for stations.
Document: Study of estimated light rail costs in Virginia Beach.
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Call 1-800-HRT-Tide if busy, Train to nowhere.com, Greekfest Express.com
Least expensive and disruptive
Same old voices of denial, defending forever the suburban sprawl that was the predominate land use development pattern since it replaced the original urban town within a county pattern. Fact is, those days of greenfield development to the south are over for a number of reasons: we are running out of developable land: the Commonwealth can't afford to pay for the roads and highways; the impact on the environment is simply harmful; changing demographics favor more urban, town center type development; and frankly, light rail fits the new pattern much better. Now the opponents can howl at the moon all they want, but light rail is the least expensive alternative to increase capacity in the I-264 corridor, and the least disruptive as well.
HRT private property confiscation
Yeah and the same old voices of obfuscation and blather that continue to want to take VB citizens to the cleaners with a financial drain on the public purse in order to make developers rich. No thanks Mikey. There are other cheaper alternatives to light rail along the I264 corridor. One is to car pool,or take the HRT bus. OR stay home. You are the big cheerleader for this boondoggle as Runnymeade has the opportunity to bid on HRT confiscated property. When successful businesses and homes are taken for light rail, then you guys will have your back door 'housing authority' $807MIL plus maintenence is a rip-off for the taxpayers that benefit a very few. If $807MIL is cheaper than other cities cost, then they got ripped off even more.
Ground Level Train System a Legacy of the 50's
Place the rail system on pillars with minimal foot prints and encroachment on flat land travel. That way the freakin choo-choo can go literally anywhere in the cul-de-sac dead end city where many highways simply end. If car travel is now the off-color thing to do as our head-in-the-clouds-potentates often profer, place the goofy choo-choo on pedistals down existing roadways without having to acquire properties via hostile dealings, and you know they would be quite harsh. As soon as retirement arrives, this speck of a town on the posterior of time will be a vision in the departing dust of forgotten roadways and communities - See Ya!
With Bernie Madoff accounting practices the norm
With golden parachutes to the perpetrators of a 100 million plus fraud. With an unelected and unaccountable board led buy a record setting ham toseer. Who would want to get involved? Only a fool marries the same person twice. Leave the burden of unending subsidies of the Fraim train in Norfolk.
As gas prices rise, and as
As gas prices rise, and as our state has tapped out its credit limit to build new roads, we must look to the future. The era of suburban McMansion subdivisions is over, and local road building is virtually out of reach as well. As the Beach grows, we will need reliable access in the I-264 corridor, and light rail, connected to passenger rail at Harbor Park, is the low cost way to add capacity in this busy corridor. The boo birds rail against this as if other cities have not benefitted from light rail, but one only needs to see the benefits that have accrued to more forward thinking areas like San Jose, Houston, Dallas, Seattle, Portland, Charlotte, and Denver. The screams and howls of protest herein are simply the voice of denial.
Your Insults and Remarks Against Your Neighbors Rude
It is clear from reading your posts, that you have little respect or concern of the opinions and positions of your neighbors and I assume some friends as well. I am certain your firm is pleased with your postings on company time in rebuttal to sensible postings of others equally as skilled with numbers and keyboards. The light rail, although a forgotten pleasure of the past, will be a real tough fit today now that this cul-de-sac city has been built like a five pound sac filled with twenty pounds of load. Over time you and your cohorts have perpetuated this farce and now we are the loons in the flock. I think not there Good Sir Dude Mikey B. Back off w/ insults and fear not everyone is either a b-bird or a member of VBTA cause we're not.
Denial? Parish the thought Mikey.
You and your developer buddies are out to bankrupt the citizens of VB. $807MIL (in reality more like $1BIL) for a light rail system that won't qualify for federal funds due to low ridership predictions; the fraud already committed by HRT and high level Norfolk city officials keeping two sets of books to hide cost over-runs;uncompetitive bids during the construction process; the 90% subsidy by taxpayers for the actual cost of the trip; the train to no-where (like the bridge to no-where in Alaska) that costs a fortune and benefits a very few; HRT running the show again; and finally HRT's use of eminent domain to condemn homes, businesses, and restaurants to build light rail stations. This boo-bird is far from being in denial.
Oppose any Beach Light Rail Development
Oppose any Beach light rail development; even if phase 1 of the plan is only to Town Center from Newtown Road.
Few would ride it. Most of them don't own a vehicle or pay any income or property taxes. Buses are a much better, far less expensive, and more flexible option.
Fares only cover 10% of the cost of operating it.
Does every taxpaying Beach family want to pay $5,000 each to build it and $500 a year to subsidize its riders.
It won't relieve traffic congestion on I-264.
Don't repeat the blunder of Norfolk at the expense of Virginia Beach taxpayers.
Submitted by
Submitted by Anonymous
"Oppose any Beach light rail development; even if phase 1 of the plan is only to Town Center from Newtown Road.
Few would ride it. Most of them don't own a vehicle or pay any income or property taxes. Buses are a much better, far less expensive, and more flexible option."
If few would ride because "they" don't own a vehicle or pay [taxes] then why would "they" ride a bus.
Suggest you review successes in other communities before commenting further. Norfolk is not unlike other similar size cities with light rail. Costs of construction/operation are small compared to development around rail with corresponding increase in tax base.