State will pay to add two round-trip trains to Washington
EVA RUSSO/TIMES-DISPATCH
The state’s agreement with Amtrak means the addition of another round trip to Washington from the Staples Mills Station in Henrico County, as well as a round trip to Washington from Lynchburg.
Two new trains to Washington Va. rail service to grow State will pay Amtrak for daily round trips from Lynchburg, Staples Mill
Virginia has agreed to pay Amtrak for additional intercity passenger train service in the state.
The Commonwealth Transportation Board approved a $25.2 million, three-year pilot project to run two new passenger trains daily to Washington: one round trip from Richmond and one round trip from Lynchburg.
With the agreement, "Virginia makes history," said the state Department of Rail and Public Transportation's Kevin B. Page. The state has not subsidized intercity passenger service before.
"This is a big deal," said board member Gerald P. McCarthy of Richmond. "This is a wonderful day for the commonwealth and its citizens."
Amtrak's board of directors is expected to act on the proposal at its April 22-23 meeting.
The state will pay Amtrak, the national passenger rail corporation, $17.2 million to operate the two round-trip trains and $8 million to rehabilitate the cars and locomotives for the new service.
"It's great to see Virginia step up to the plate on the operation of more trains," said Ross B. Capon, president of the 23,000-member National Association of Railroad Passengers in Washington.
Should the trains' operating costs exceed the budgeted amount, Virginia is responsible for the difference, though the state Department of Rail and Public Transportation thinks the planned $17.2 million should be enough to cover the pilot effort.
"As a startup business, it's clearly worth it," Capon said. "You're eventually going to build up a market. As the market grows, the cost falls."
If all goes as planned, the new service will start in Lynchburg on Oct. 1, and in Richmond on Dec. 15.
The state rail agency anticipates that 42,000 passengers a year will take advantage of the new Richmond train, which will originate at the Staples Mill Station in Henrico County, and 51,000 travelers a year will use the Lynchburg service.
While firm schedules and fares have yet to be worked out, the Richmond train will tentatively pull out of Staples Mill about 7 a.m. daily and arrive at Washington's Union Station about 9:30 a.m., then leave Union Station about 4 p.m. and arrive back at Staples Mill at 6-6:30 p.m., according to the Rail and Public Transportation Department. It would be the ninth daily round trip between Richmond and Washington. Northbound trains currently leave Richmond at 6 a.m. and 8 a.m., among other times.
The Lynchburg train will leave the Kemper Street Station about 7:45 a.m. and reach Union Station at 11:20-11:30 a.m., the department said. It will depart Washington about 5 p.m. and return to Lynchburg at about 8:30 p.m.
Each train will consist of up to eight passenger coaches, a business-class coach and a café car, Page said.
Additional Amtrak service will aid business and economic development in the Virginia capital region, said the Greater Richmond Chamber's Rob Bradham.
"The more rail service we have, particularly between here and D.C., the better," Bradham said. "The [Interstate] 95 corridor is already congested with traffic."
These trains will provide "a single-seat ride to New York or Boston" as they will be extensions of existing northeast corridor service, said Page, the department's rail transportation chief.
The rail agency expects people traveling between Virginia and the northeast to generate significant additional ridership for the two trains.
Virginia will get credit for any ticket on the new services, regardless of where the travelers buy those tickets, said Jennifer Pickett with the state rail agency.
"For example, someone in Boston could purchase a ticket for one of these two new service routes," Pickett said, "and Virginia would receive revenue credit for the entire trip, not just the portion within Virginia."
Amtrak spokesman Cliff Black said 14 states now fund Amtrak intercity passenger service, including neighboring North Carolina.
Since 2002, Virginia has spent $131.2 million on improvements to the CSX tracks between Richmond and Washington to lay the groundwork for better passenger and freight rail service.
Almost 300,000 travelers used Amtrak's two Richmond-area stations in 2008. The overwhelming majority -- 275,479 -- went through the Staples Mill Station in Henrico County, while 19,360 passengers used the Main Street Station in downtown Richmond.
Last year, Amtrak handled 1,050,017 passengers at its 19 Virginia stations. Staples Mill Station was the state's busiest.
Contact Peter Bacqué at (804) 649-6813 or
.
Advertisement
Reader Reactions
50 years ago, there was a public service obligation that went along with being a common carrier which earned railroards the right of eminent domain. Now that railway companies are mostly contract carriers and require “public-private partnerships” to preserve anything outside a narrow view of “their franchise,“ I’m not so sure they’re entitled to eminent domain anymore. Let a public authority acquire a right-of-way, own it as a public trust, then lease it to a rail carrier! The public should have an ownership interest in anything it makes an investment in, just like railroads did in earlier decades.
I think if one studies the history of railroad development one will find that the ancestors of CSX seized private property from farmers, etc,. when they had to, with the aid of corrupt politicians. (Sort of like the highway lobby today.) Our corrupt republican packed supreme court recently ruled that gov’t can seize land at the behest of real estate developers so they can make more $$$ even if the ordinary folks who own the land don’t want to sell. Washington Post, 2005: “The Supreme Court ruled yesterday that local governments may force property owners to sell out and make way for private economic development when officials decide it would benefit the public, even if the property is not blighted and the new project’s success is not guaranteed.“ It’s a funny world. I’d rather look out on it though from a fast safe train running on dedicated tracks seized from a giant polluting and corrupt corporation. Take it all Timmy!
CSX made over $1billion last year. Why should the people of the Commonwealth pay to maintain the equipment and right of way of this profitable private company?
Glad to hear it, although im not sure if its a great use of tax money. I’m all for mass transit and i KNOW that VA could be the state to lead the nation. In the Bay area, CA where i live now we have a light rail system IDENTICAL to the one in washington d.c., ridership is high and the system is efficient. I know that if light rail can work in CA it can thrive and set future standards in VA, the gov’t is 1000 X times more sensible and grounded back there. Amtrak and the railroad industry have to improve and evolve and light rail should be implemented from Norfolk/VA beach - Richmond - Washington D.C., i know its extremely expensive and there are more populated areas in the U.S. - but there isn’t a state gov’t that has a higher bond rating or a better track record when it comes to transportation, just look at the cheasapeake bay bridge! VA could easily set the standard for modern mass transit in the U.S.
The North Carolina Railroad (which hosts that state’s passenger rail service)was built and owned by the state and leased to the Southern (now Norfolk Southern) Railway. Virginia could likewise buy the Richmond-Washington line from CSX, upgrade it for high speed rail, and lease it back (99-year lease), charging CSX for operating its trains over the line. You tend to forget that a great deal of “private” railroad property (including generous amounts of adjacent acreage) was GIVEN to the railroad in return for a promise that a rail line would be built and serve the communities through which it ran. Much was said about this some years ago when a couple of major lines were abandoned and put up for sale by the railroad.
squier13 Quite to opposite. I’m suggesting that the Commonwealth has no business paying for the upkeep of private property.
eleazar you are suggesting we nationalize CSX’s private property? that is socialist appeasement talk.
I’m all for this project. The faster we realize that mass transit is the way to go the better. I hope that someday electrification will come to the line and we can have true high-speed service that will give the airlines a run for their money along that route.
Man, some of you people are stuck in the stone age or live in heavily fortified bunkers.
Sorry squier13. There’s no money to pay for the bus or for the roads that it would run on. All of the money was spent on Amrtak and paying a private company (CSX) to maintain its PRIVATE property.
There should be an express bus connecting Main St. Station with the Staples Mill station for these trains. The major deficiency in Richmond’s rail service is the location of our primary station far out in the suburbs, and our downtown station on an industrial siding.
Post a Comment(Requires free registration)
- Please avoid offensive, vulgar, or hateful language.
- Respect others.
- Use the "Flag Comment" link when necessary.
- See the Terms and Conditions for details.
Advertisement