Virginia rail officials are disheartened that the state will only receive $75 million in federal stimulus funds for high-speed rail service.
"We’re disappointed," said Thelma Drake, director of the state’s Department of Rail and Public Transportation.
On the other hand, "it shows a commitment on the part of the federal government that the high-speed rail corridor will be built," she said, "or they wouldn’t bother."
The money will pay for about 11 miles of new track in Prince William and Stafford counties in Northern Virginia to improve passenger rail service between Richmond and Washington.
"The $75 million grant supports Virginia’s top shovel-ready project," the state rail agency said, "and is part of an incremental approach to improving passenger rail service in Virginia."
The project will eliminate a bottleneck on the line and help lay the foundation for future high-speed rail in the corridor.
Virginia asked for $1.8 billion from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act to develop the portion of the Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor between Petersburg and Washington.
The long-term goal for this corridor is top speeds of up to 110 mph, reducing trip time by one-third from Washington to Richmond, and to four and one-half hours between Richmond and Charlotte.
Eventually, the Southeast Corridor is expected to use Atlanta as a regional hub, with connections from Atlanta east to Charlotte, south to Macon and Jacksonville, north to Chattanooga, and west to Birmingham.
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