The Virginian-Pilot
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The price of bringing Amtrak train service into downtown Norfolk has grown by more than $13 million, to $114.6 million.
State officials announced last week that passenger trains will start boarding at Harbor Park by the end of the year, about 10 months ahead of schedule, and taking travelers to Richmond, Washington, D.C., and as far as Boston with one-seat service.
The state has agreed to shift money already programmed for Norfolk Southern Corp. for improving tracks in Northern Virginia to the Norfolk passenger rail project, which, according to Norfolk Southern spokesman Robin Chapman, has had "a mix of both higher costs and additional requirements."
"The railroad's agreed to do that, to push back other projects so we can advance this project," said Thelma Drake, director of the Department of Rail and Public Transportation.
To accommodate passenger trains, Norfolk Southern is making improvements on its freight tracks between Norfolk and Petersburg while CSX is upgrading its line between Petersburg and Richmond.
Some of the added costs are going to address interchange issues between the two railroads in Petersburg;correct newly detected drainage issues; construct a crash wall to protect the Interstate 264 overpass and The Tide light rail line; build a handicap wheelchair lift at the station platform; and acquire property for the St. Julian's Street train-servicing facility.
Debbie Messina, 757-446-2588, debbie.messina@pilotonline.com
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This thing will be a hundred
This thing will be a hundred million over budget by the time it's finished.A few folks will get rich,Get fired and life goes on...
No Brainer
I travel to Richmond, DC, and Baltimore pretty frequently. It takes 30 minutes longer by train than driving with no traffic.
If it is during the summer or you hit NOVA during traffic hour, when it has taken me 2 1/2 hours just to get back from Richmond or 5 hours to get to DC, (It even took me 7 hours once because of an accident on I 95) the train is much faster plus A LOT less stressful.
It is $46 for a round trip ticket to Richmond and $92 for a round trip ticket to DC from Newport News. It is less than what I pay for fuel when I drive. You get to sit, relax, use your laptop, read a book, have a meal, sleep, pretty much everything you can't do while you are driving.
You don't put miles or wear and tear on your car.
The list of pro's g
edit
The list of pro's goes on.
Sorry voltaire for my tardyness
I was too busy working, because millions on welfare depend on us.
Well you took time off from
Well you took time off from your busy work to post something snarky. You seemed obsessed with welfare, that's interesting. Maybe it's the policies of the party whom you support, that have destroyed the manifacturing base, and turned yesterday's middle class into today's poor, which in turn has pushed the "millions" you claim are on welfare to welfare. But that would take being thoughtful, and judging by your snarky comment, something you probably haven't considered doing much of lately.
Well you took time off from
Well you took time off from your busy work to post something snarky. You seemed obsessed with welfare, that's interesting. Maybe it's the policies of the party whom you support, that have destroyed the manifacturing base, and turned yesterday's middle class into today's poor, which in turn has pushed the "millions" you claim are on welfare to welfare. But that would take being thoughtful, and judging by your snarky comment, something you probably haven't considered doing much of lately.
Comparisons
I have yet to hear of an airport improvement that didn't have cost overruns. And how about port improvements such as dredging? Typically those cost more than estimated too. Where is all the shouting about that? And how about all the cost overruns for military ships and equipment?
When it comes to transportation of goods or people, rail is the most economical way to do it. Granted, it isn't the quickest. For now, people still prefer to fight traffic and parking problems and use their own vehicles, or be stuck with all the inconveniences and cramped seating of airline travel. Let fuel prices rise to $4 or $5 a gallon and have airline ticket prices go even higher because of higher fuel costs, THEN let's see their travel decisions.
Hasn't Norfolk Southern been trying to get state money
I have to wonder whether all this boondoggle was is to give NS government money to upgrade their rail corridors then after a few years the passenger rail is axed as too expensive leaving NS ans CSX with hundreds of miles of government improved infrastructure.
The golden hammer award
RLS you get the award for seeing the scam for what it is. A secret money funnel from the tax-payers to the private railroads. NS will replace all the rail/ties/signals etc...at OUR expense then steal the existing rail/ties/signals etc..to sell or use for their system elsewhere. Equipment we paid for.
Track speed goes by the weight of the track per foot. The weight is perfectly good for the lighter passenger trains now but with the heavier track the freight trains can zip saving NS a few bucks on labor.
The railroads owe us MILLIONS for stolen salvage.
http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=ecfr&rgn=div5&view=text&node=23:1.0.1.7.27&idno=23#23:1.0.1.7.27.2.1.6
(3) The State and FHWA shall be afforded a reasonable opportunity to inspec
What does grade crossings have to do with salvage?
Because your link tells me nothing about salvage.
As for the rest of your post, as I told someone on the first page:
Let's pretend for a second that you're clairvoyant and that you are correct, that in just 2 years they drop this new service.
In this country 40% of our freight moves by train; only 28% moves by truck. If NS can now run more freight trains because they can travel faster and even more trucks can be taken off the road, this is not a bad thing for the taxpayers. Your goods will cost less; fewer trucks on the heavily subsidized roads means less damage to the roads, therefore Millions less in taxes to repair said roads & highways; and fewer trucks mean a little less congestion and pollution.
So how is this a bad thing?