In 1956, Charlottesville had 22 daily passenger trains that traveled to Washington. Today, the service between the two localities is expensive and infrequent.
But Meredith Richards, founder of Cville Rail and chair of the Piedmont Rail Coalition, says funds were made available and better rail service will soon become a reality.
The Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) has determined that approximately $464 million from the Rail Enhancement Fund, which gets money from the car rental tax, and private and local matching grants are available over the next six years for capital costs.
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Meredith Richards is |
The submitted plan lists an expenditure of $39.5 million for capital costs in the I-81/U.S. 29 corridor that includes track improvements for a new train from Lynchburg to Washington. Also included is a route analysis for future service from Roanoke to Bristol as Phase III of the TransDominion Express.
“That’s more than we’ve ever heard as being the capital needs for that corridor,” says Richards, a former city councilor.
Jennifer Pickett, DRPT spokesperson, says the department will prepare a detailed funding strategy for all projects in December to be finalized in January.
“It will be historic for Virginia, because we have never funded rail operations before,” says Richards. As a three-year demonstration project to fund rail operations on the two corridors—I-95 between Richmond and Washington and Route 29 between Lynchburg and Washington—the state has allocated $17 million, to be approved by the state Transportation Board.
But after that, a steady source of annual revenue dedicated to rail operations must be found, says Richards. Pickett says they still have no source for that funding but the department is looking at possible options. Amtrak estimates operating costs at $1.9 million per train.
Richards says that despite the financial downturn, rail funding won’t be affected. She points out that the Rail Enhancement Fund “is not part of the general fund, it’s not part of the general state budget or even part of the VDOT larger transportation budget.”
Pickett says the department already accounted for any shortfall. “There is sufficient funding available for the projects included in the presentation,” she says.
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