Kaine revs up support for high-speed rail
BOB BROWN/TIMES-DISPATCH
Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, backed by rail supporters yesterday at Main Street Station, talked about the merits of high-speed rail.
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AUDIO: Gov. Tim Kaine The region can't continue to rely on I-95 for growth Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones Rail would be a "win-win" situation for the region |
Everyone's on board for high-speed rail in the Richmond region.
Gov. Timothy M. Kaine led a community pep rally yesterday to boost faster rail service as a top priority as the region and Washington suburbs grow toward each other on the Interstate 95 corridor.
"We cannot grow as a community in the way that we need to purely off of 95," Kaine told an enthusiastic audience at Main Street Station in Richmond's Shockoe Bottom. "We have to have more vigorous rail and public transit options to be all that we can be."
There was no dissent among public officials and business leaders from throughout the Richmond area, who have banded into the Capital Region Collaborative to make high-speed rail a top political priority and economic development tool for the region.
"I've been in Richmond for a long time, and I've never seen a portrait of unity like I see here today," Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones said. "This is something we feel in our gut and know in our spirit is a win-win situation for our region. Becoming part of the Washington area metroplex is going to absolutely change the way we do business."
Jones was among elected representatives from nine localities in the Richmond region that have adopted resolutions making high-speed rail service -- or at least faster and more reliable trains -- a common goal.
Kaine is using his influence with President Barack Obama's administration to make it happen. Virginia has submitted a plan for $1.6 billion in rail improvements to raise speeds from 70 mph to 90 mph and reduce train trips to 90 minutes reliably between the region and Washington's Union Station.
The state's proposal also is aimed at expanding rail service to Petersburg and relieving a bottleneck in Richmond to allow more trains to use Main Street Station, a historic landmark that Kaine helped return to city control as mayor more than a decade ago.
However, Virginia is competing for $8 billion in federal funds for developing high-speed rail as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, known as the stimulus package. Kaine estimated that the federal government already has received preliminary requests for about $192 billion in rail improvements nationwide.
Kaine said the state has an advantage over many competitors because of existing agreements with two major railroad freight companies -- CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern Corp., which were represented by top executives at yesterday's rally.
"Work like this on high-speed rail doesn't happen without good railroad partners," Kaine said.
Earlier this week, Virginia committed $10 million in stimulus money to pay for engineering to relieve a bottleneck at CSX's Acca Yard in Richmond that hinders speedy access to Main Street Station and south to Petersburg.
Local officials think the Richmond area could serve as a critical link between the Northeast and Southeast rail corridors.
"We're in a really strong position to get the full funding," said former Richmond City Council President William J. Pantele, who serves on a nonprofit advocacy group for high-speed rail.
Contact Michael Martz at (804) 649-6964 or
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Reader Reactions
We have SOME ignorant folks in this REGION that need to visit larger cities so they can see Richmond’s potential, and how far we are behind where we should be as a REGION. As it is said, you don’t miss what you never had. Example: You won’t miss having a car if you have never had one, or even seen one.
oneuser: High speed rail is not just about connecting to DC. It’s about connecting to the Northeast and the world. Many people have long commutes all over the country, including the Richmond to DC commute, which seems extreme to people locked in there own little community. Also, some people like to travel while others have no travel desire or experience. High speed rail may be useless to some, but it would be used by the many people who commute and like to travel. I would like rail period to Va. Beach, but Richmond is the next dot to be connected, then Charlotte or Va Beach.
People who think high speed rail would not be a big improvement to our region and our state probably have not been or lived anyplace where rail is commomly used. Richmond is behind!
Gdwilling: you missed the point. You can’t go from Norfolk (i.e., south of the James) to anywhere west since the late ‘70’s w/o going North. We need east-west south of the James/Appomattox, i.e., the US 460, US 58 corridors, etc. In short, southside Virginia. They had this figured out in 1860 - why do you think Petersburg was of such interest to folks?
Hey Squier. Ask yourself why there are only 4 trains going thru Main Street Station. I think they are the ones going back and forth to Newport News and go thru Acca Yard. The trains that stop at Staples Mill Road also go thru Acca Yard before they head down the Belt Line to Petersburg and south. There are 2 thru tracks in the middle of Acca Yard that has accomidated passenger trains since the R.F. & P. ran that part of the railroad and into Broad Street Station. There was a problem with not having a connecting track between Seaboard Air Lines old Brown Street yard and the C.& 0.‘s 17th Street yard but that was corrected after the merger of SCL/Family Lines and the Chessie System. That crossover is what is used now for trains coming from Acca and north and Main Street Station and also trains going north coming off the old C. & O. from Fulton Yard. Somebody just want’s to spend taxpayers money to expand Acca Yard so that passenger trains don’t interfere with CSX’s freight.
I have a suggestion, let’s do this right the first time. Why not put the thru tracks from the old Seaboard coming up across Hermitage Road and Brown Street Yard/Main Street Station in a trench thru Acca Yard and then do the same thing thru Ashland. They did this in Los Angeles for the lines down to Long Beach and San Pedro harbors, eliminated all crossings and improved train times, reduced polution, improved safety for the public and I don’t no how many other benefits.
All it takes is realistic leadership, somebody with vision for the future needs of this state, somebody with guts to say, “Let do something now for our people.“, and about $1.5 Billion of taxpayers money because CSX doesn’t have it.
I have to wonder what would downtown Richmond have been like if the old C & O and Seaboard not looked in to their crystal ball in the 1890’s and decided that they were going to elevate their lines along and across the James River. That little project, that is now over 100 years old had saved 1,000’s of hours in delayed traffic and for that matter saved countless lives from not having a train blocking 14th Street so that an ambulance would be delayed getting to the emergency room at MCV.
They spent the money then and we should spend the money now to fix the problems. There are many other benefits besides increase average train speeds.
Guess if you have family or something in DC, High speed rail is great. Most people in Richmond live here and are not interested in DC. If you miss your family that much would it not be better to move back to DC rather than spend millions of dollars on something that is useless to the people of Richmond. I would rather have high speed rail to Virginia Beach!
If HIGH SPEED RAIL service was a GOOD ideal; I think the private sector would have invested in it long ago - making tons of money. If government wants to do - then it will fail and wasted tax money to boot.
I think a lot of people don’t see the bigger picture of this issue. We’re not talking about just getting to DC by fast rail. We’re talking about connecting Richmond to the major east coast passenger rail corridor.
“better help Virginia by using money to open the closed rest stops.“
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This $8 billion is specifically allocated for rail improvements, not public toilets. If Virginia doesn’t get it, another state will.
The claim that no one wants faster, more reliable train service between here and DC is just plain false. The station at Staples Mill is already one of the busiest in the state, and GRTC also has a bus that takes Richmonders to Fredericksburg so that they can take VRE to DC. Then there’s all of the folks who end up sitting on I-95 in Northern VA on a regular basis. I would even venture to say that some who now fly would take the train too, since it lands you in the heart of DC. I bet you all of those folks would love a quick, reliable way to get to DC, and others will follow.
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