| Working on the railroads
Virginia Business
September 2004
Virginia
is making headway on two initiatives aimed at reducing
traffic congestion and getting more commuters and travelers
to utilize rail alternatives.
In late July the state received a $58.9 million grant
from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to begin
engineering for the first phase of the Dulles Corridor
Rapid Transit Project, which will extend the Metrorail
11 miles from West Falls Church to Reston. Ultimately,
the goal is to get mass transit all the way out to Washington
Dulles Inter-national Airport.
State officials expect a better picture of the project’s
cost and timetable when the preliminary planning phase
is done, by October 2005. Congress has provided $160
million in total funding for the project, but $70 million
has yet to be allocated. Still, Gov. Mark Warner dubbed
the FTA’s actions as “the beginning of rail
to Dulles. We are moving out of the gate.”
Meanwhile, the proposed TransDominion Express (TDX),
which hopes to run European-style rail cars across Virginia,
got a boost in late July when Norfolk Southern began
negotiating with state officials about the logistics
of running mass passenger trains on its traditional
freight tracks from Bristol through Roanoke and up to
Washington, D.C.
Talks, however, could be a moot point, since state transportation
officials say they don’t have the estimated $120
million to make needed rail upgrades. In addition, both
Norfolk Southern and state officials believe that another
$4 million to $5 million in public monies will be needed
each year to subsidize the service if fare prices are
to remain low enough to attract passengers. A possible
solution, however, could come out of the Governor’s
Commission on Rail Enhancement for the 21st century,
which is looking for funding options to fund freight
and passenger rail. Its first report is expected in
December.
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