Rail Transit in Virginia

[varider]

http://hamptonroads.com/2009/04/hrt-will-s...route-navy-base

Hampton Roads Transit has begun the EIS for the extension of the Norfolk Light Rail Starter Line AKA The Tide. The extension to the Virginia Beach Oceanfront will give Hampton Roads approx. 18 miles of LRT.

[vdogg]

http://hamptonroads.com/2009/04/hrt-will-s...route-navy-base

Hampton Roads Transit has begun the EIS for the extension of the Norfolk Light Rail Starter Line AKA The Tide. The extension to the Virginia Beach Oceanfront will give Hampton Roads approx. 18 miles of LRT.

Too bad it looks like Portsmouth might be left out.

http://hamptonroads.com/2009/04/some-nays-...lls-pay-tunnels

City officials are also interested in getting light rail through the new Midtown Tunnel tube.

Kerley said VDOT doesn't intend to have light rail run through the new Midtown Tunnel. But he said the builders can construct the second tube tall enough so other modes of transportation can be accommodated.

^^^I honestly don't know what the hell that statement means . Seems completely contradictory. I have no idea what "other modes" they could be referring to.

[varider]

Ha maybe he's talking about flying cars

[orulz]

SEHSR has released their plans for the rail alignment between Richmond and Petersburg. See them here.

A couple of observations:

1. The plans include grade separating or closing all crossings, at least from Main Street Station to Collier. There will be no grade crossings on the high speed rail line.
   
2. There will be a second track over both the James and the Appomattox Rivers. I hope they do here what they did with the new bridge at Possum Point (Quantico): leave the old bridge, and build the second bridge wide enough so that it can be double tracked in the future, eventually allowing for 3 tracks. This is necessary IMO since these bridges will probably be built with a 100-150 year lifespan in mind.
   
3. The "S" line will be renovated and double tracked and the "A" line will be triple tracked through Richmond and Petersburg.
   
4. For those of you who have been keeping track (anyone?) there was some question as to the routing the trains would take through Petersburg. Would they take the old ACL main through Colonial Heights to a station downtown, or stick to the CSX "A" line? This chart seems to indicate they have decided to stick with the CSX "A" line. That's bad news for the town of Petersburg because their station will remain in a crappy part of town (Ettrick) , but good news for SEHSR in general because the CSX alignment will be faster.
   
   IMO they should put the Ettrick station out of its misery and at least put in a new station on Washington Street (Washington & Atlantic if you want to look it up on a map.)
   

[varider]

Any news on Richmond to HR?

[orulz]

No recent news. The Richmond to HR line is further behind the Richmond to Raleigh line in the planning and environmental review process. I think the line to Norfolk and south HR is still favored over just enhancing the NPN line, so the route between Richmond and Petersburg on the Richmond to Raleigh line will actually serve as one segment of the Richmond to HR line.

[varider]

http://hamptonroads.com/2009/05/highspeed-...s-attention-now

Editorial in the Pilot about the need for high speed rail in South Hampton Roads.

[mlsimons]

http://hamptonroads.com/2009/05/highspeed-...s-attention-now

Editorial in the Pilot about the need for high speed rail in South Hampton Roads.

Good News. I just hope it comes to fruition within the next 8 years! I hate how these things take decades.

[mikeas]

I don't really see the need to link high speed rail from Hampton Roads to Richmond. We already have the Amtrak connection and it would seem to make more sense to make a North or South connection. What is the deal with mirroring interstates with rail service?

[mistermetaj]

I don't really see the need to link high speed rail from Hampton Roads to Richmond. We already have the Amtrak connection and it would seem to make more sense to make a North or South connection. What is the deal with mirroring interstates with rail service?

Unless you mean make two separate banches from DC, one to Richmond and one to Norfolk/Va Beach, there is no way a direct N-S connection is coming to Hampton Roads. There is no way those in powers in this state will let any economic opportunity (which is what high speed rail is) bipass Richmond, and I thoroughly doubt there is will be money available to create a totally separate line to Hampton Roads. Building the N-S connection through Richmond and not HR has everything to do with state politics and little to do with mirroring the interstate. HR is the forgotten metro in this state, even though it is the second biggest (outside of NoVa). Not to mention, we are building a lightrail which can directly connect to the high speed rail terminal, something that is so important for any stop in a major city. But, that doesn't matter to this state. bigger population, better public transit...doesn't matter. Richmond can only retain their status by staying the direct N-S route and suppressing this metro from gaining any form of economic advantage through transportation. They are doing a good job of it too.

[varider]

No recent news. The Richmond to HR line is further behind the Richmond to Raleigh line in the planning and environmental review process. I think the line to Norfolk and south HR is still favored over just enhancing the NPN line, so the route between Richmond and Petersburg on the Richmond to Raleigh line will actually serve as one segment of the Richmond to HR line.

Looking at the map, your right about this being the first segment of the Richmond to HR line.. Actually once they get to Petersburg, Norfolk is only 65 or so miles away. This leads me to believe that the NPN CSX connection is most likely out of the question.. I can't wait for South HR to have high speed rail.. I will ride it almost every where i need to go on the east coast.

[geszes]

The troubling aspect about Virginia's (and other Mid-Atlantic states') aspirations for High Speed Rail is that exclusive right-of-ways are not being considered. Norfolk Southern and CSX have long insisted that they maintain dispatching authority over all trains, including passenger trains. We live in a freight-heavy corridor, home to two of the largest coal-transloading facilities in the world, and to three container ports with rail access. There will be scheduling conflicts of a 90+ mph high-speed train with low-speed freight on shared/existing railroad right-of-way. Acquiring a dedicated right-of-way, much like how it's being done with the California High Speed Rail system, would be a wiser choice.

But that aside... Southside leaders want the train to run from Petersburg to Suffolk, then to Downtown Norfolk. The Southside contains some 70% of the region's jobs and population, so this would make sense. But this would only make travel from the Southside to Richmond, Washington, Baltimore and beyond easier, and would not solve our region's intra-regional transportational woes. Upgrading the existing CSX/Amtrak corridor on the Peninsula would, once again, serve long-distance travel only. Even if both options were fully built, the Hampton Roads region would still be severely crippled, possessing no way to move rail transit over the harbor.

The opportunity then presents itself to solve BOTH the long-distance, and intra-regional travel problems. If we chose to upgrade the existing CSX/Amtrak corridor on the Peninsula, a high-speed link can be made to Richmond. Then, as part of the Third Crossing, rail service, either linked or a separate operation, but obviously no longer travelling at "high speed", could be run from Newport News, with an intermediate stop at the Naval Station, to link up with the Southside's Tide Light Rail at a central location: Harbor Park or Military Highway. While this link would be a considerable expense, it's the only one that would simultaneously enable better long-distance travel, while forming a much-needed rail link between the Southside and the Peninsula.

[vdogg]

Schism over highspeed rail

I really don't see what the problem is. The Peninsula already has Amtrack service and the south side doesn't, while the south side has the majority of the population. That situation in and of itself already makes no sense. I see no reason to whine about high speed service not coming to the peninsula when they already have at least some service. The southside must have a direct connection to this corridor otherwise we face further economic stagnation. The 460 route is the only true logical choice, the pen may just have to bite the bullet on this one.

[jeffconn]

Schism over highspeed rail

I really don't see what the problem is. The Peninsula already has Amtrack service and the south side doesn't, while the south side has the majority of the population. That situation in and of itself already makes no sense. I see no reason to whine about high speed service not coming to the peninsula when they already have at least some service. The southside must have a direct connection to this corridor otherwise we face further economic stagnation. The 460 route is the only true logical choice, the pen may just have to bite the bullet on this one.

The high speed route should go to the southside. There is more population and no passenger rail service now. However, i would like to see the peninsula's existing line extended to downtown Hampton.

[jeffconn]

Here's an article/podcast i spotted today. Apologies for the lateness. Charlottesville is getting extra service from Amtrak this fall, on a new daily Lynchburg-DC line. Now, there is talk of commuter rail from Crozet to Charlottesville.

Albemarle County Supervisors endorse idea for Crozet to Charlottesville commuter train

My mind is blown! Commuter rail in Charlottesville?

Thumbs up to the people of Charlottesville, although i am almost 100% certain that this will ever get off the ground.

[jeffconn]

Here's a stretch. Local Representatives say we can have higher speed rail on the peninsula AND the southside!

For region's high-speed rail, lawmakers want both routes

But, but, but, but....if our cities' politicians can't argue amongst each other and have to cooperate, they'll wither and die!

[cpeakesqr]

Here's a stretch. Local Representatives say we can have higher speed rail on the peninsula AND the southside!

For region's high-speed rail, lawmakers want both routes

But, but, but, but....if our cities' politicians can't argue amongst each other and have to cooperate, they'll wither and die!

You won't see anybody making tough choices when their jobs are on the line. I'd have more respect for a politician who chose one option for less than justifiable reasons, than one who says we can have it all. Alas, that's not gonna happen until they make it look like there is no choice and they're off the hook.

I selfishly choose the Southside option. Firstly, because even if I didn't ride it, I would at least get to look at it once in a while. And secondly, because it makes more sense to have commuter rail stop in the heart of the metro, not over the river and through the woods.

[vdogg]

I selfishly choose the Southside option. Firstly, because even if I didn't ride it, I would at least get to look at it once in a while.

That's probably the best justification I've heard yet.

[jeffconn]

Amtrak Signs Agreement with Virginia to Provide New Passenger Rail Service

Under the Virginia agreement, Amtrak will receive $17.2 million from Virginia over a three-year demonstration period to provide new daily service to Washington, D.C. from Lynchburg beginning in October 2009 and from Richmond beginning in December 2009. Detailed schedules and fares will be finalized by the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation and Amtrak in the coming months.

(emphasis mine. we now know when the new routes are starting.)

[varider]

http://www.wavy.com/dpp/news/business/loca...proved_20090616

NORFOLK, VA - The city council and board of supervisors from all nine Virginia southside localities have voted in voted in favor of a resolution urging Va. to pursue bringing the Route 460/Norfolk Southern high speed rail route to Hampton Roads.

According to a news release, "the resolution urges the Hampton Roads Congressional Delegation to assist in the selection and funding of the Richmond to South Hampton Roads high-speed passenger rail link from all possible sources." Those sources include, the pending Federal Surface Transportation Act Re-Authorization and President Obama's newly proposed high-speed passenger rail program.

The president's proposed program proposes $8 billion in American Reinvestment and Recovery Act funding and an additional $1 billion per year over the next five years in the FY2010 budget.

By end of summer 2009, the Department of Rail and Public Transportation is expected to complete the Environmental Impact Statement, which will then be subjected to public review and finally submitted to Federal Rail Road Administration.

[varider]

http://hamptonroads.com/2009/06/important-...igherspeed-rail

Wick Moorman said he was speaking only for himself when he told Norfolk business leaders that higher-speed passenger rail must come to Hampton Roads by a southern route.

But his opinion could be another catalyst for a project that promises an economic boost and much-needed relief from traffic congestion. Moorman, after all, is CEO of Norfolk Southern Corp., which owns the south side rail lines and would be a crucial partner if the project becomes reality.

Last week, he told members of the Greater Norfolk Corp. that an alternate path down the Peninsula "just doesn't work" because few if any of the million residents of South Hampton Roads will drive to Newport News to catch a train. "It's got to be out of Southside Virginia," he said.

Moorman didn't just offer his opinion on the matter. He signaled in an interview that his company is open to becoming an active partner. "If we think that it makes sense for us financially to take some role in the ongoing operation, we'd be willing to at least consider that," he said. "We certainly are more than willing to be engaged in the dialogue."

Moorman's comments represent a sea change in Norfolk Southern's attitudes. The company historically has had understandable heartburn about trying to coordinate fast-moving passenger trains and slower freight cars. But Moorman and other executives are proud residents of Hampton Roads, and they understand the economic consequences if a network of high- and higher-speed passenger rail along the East Coast bypasses the region.

They also understand their own business model is changing. Moorman told business leaders that cargo traffic has dropped by about 45 percent for automobiles, 40 percent for steel and 25 percent for coal compared to last year's figures. Although Moorman sees signs of improvement, he believes recovery will be slow. While the recession has been painful, it's also encouraged Moorman and his colleagues to consider new opportunities, including passenger rail.

Moorman said 16 states have contacted his company eager to engage Norfolk Southern in passenger rail projects. He's met with officials in Virginia, and his expertise is already helping to level barriers impeding the project.

For example, he said in an interview that the state's $475 million price tag for a southern route exceeds his company's own estimates for necessary upgrades. Norfolk Southern boasts a rail network perfectly capable of handling passenger trains with additional side tracks for passing and improved road crossings.

The primary reason the South Hampton Roads spur appears to be more expensive than the Peninsula route, estimated at $330 million, is that state officials have included the cost for a section of rail that has to be built anyway.

Plans are under way to extend high-speed rail from Washington, D.C., to Richmond, continuing on to Petersburg, Raleigh, N.C., and Charlotte, N.C. That project will go forward no matter where or whether an eastbound spur is added to Hampton Roads. Indeed, the upgrades for Richmond-to-Petersburg are included in a separate assessment for improvements between Richmond and Raleigh.

Those costs - the ones that make a south side route more expensive - are being double-counted by Richmond, to the detriment of Norfolk, Portsmouth, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake and Suffolk.

While Moorman is willing to work with Virginia on passenger rail, issues of capacity, liability and financing must be resolved. "The trick is the money," he said.

President Barack Obama has earmarked billions of dollars to construct rail projects in the stimulus package and in his budget, but the state must be willing to invest in the long-term operation of passenger service.

Norfolk Southern is the partner Virginia needs to bring passenger rail to the state's second-largest population center. The question now is whether Virginia can convince Moorman that the state will be a trustworthy partner in the endeavor.

[orulz]

Looks like the general Virginia forum doesn't get much action, so I'll post this here and in the Hampton Roads thread.

The EIS for the Hampton Roads high speed rail is published online.

They refrain from picking a specific route. The plan with the highest ridership is, predictably, the one with 110mph service to Norfolk and (improved) conventional service to NPN. However, simply upgrading the service to NPN without building anything to Norfolk is highlighted as the most cost effective.

Even the most expensive option is listed at only $844 million - which includes a 110mph line to Norfolk and improvements to the 79mph line to NPN. That price seems unbelievably low to me. If it's accurate, then it's a bargain - and will stand an excellent chance of getting funded. This is as compared to the SEHSR route from Richmond to Raleigh which is estimated at $3.7 billion.

Since both are 110mph lines, then why the big difference?

Well, let's look at the differences between the two lines:

HR HSR:

• 90 or 110mph planned speed
  
• Uses an existing active freight line
  
• Is a spur line
  
• Fewer hills and fewer curves
  
• Retains 1/3 to 1/2 of the grade crossings
  

SEHSR (Raleigh)

• 110mph initial speed; faster speeds possible in the future (with regulatory changes, new rolling stock, electrifaction)
  
• Will be acquiring an abandoned freight line from CSX and restoring/upgrading it as a dedicated passenger line
  
• Will serve as a trunk for the SEHSR line to Atlanta, Florida, and beyond
  
• More hills and curves to contend with
  
• Fully grade-separated (this is one of the most expensive parts of the project)
  

In NC, Norfolk Southern RR has said that they will not allow trains to move faster than 90mph on shared tracks, but they will allow separate dedicated tracks for higher speeds to be built within their right-of-way. If 110mph service is selected, no doubt Virginia will have to deal with the same requirement.

[ronsmytheiii]

Beautiful article from the Dailypress really expresses the true situation:

When it comes to transportation, it can't be a case of "us" versus "them." It has to be "all of us" if any of us in Hampton Roads is to do well.

But that face-off mentality is encouraged by the region's geography, with the harbor and rivers separating the Peninsula from the cities — Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Portsmouth, Suffolk and Chesapeake — of South Hampton Roads.

There's a tendency to draw lines, and recent developments threaten to pit those who like to do that against each other. The latest arrived in the form of an announcement by the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation that the most cost-effective way to improve passenger rail service, and connect Hampton Roads with Richmond, Washington and points north, is by upgrading service that runs down the Peninsula, not by focusing on a high-speed line to Norfolk.

The agency didn't recommend among the options, but it seems to have skipped the part where cost calculations are checked against common sense. Because it would point this way: While rail service to the Peninsula would be retained, the focus for high-cost, high-speed upgrades should be on the southern and western part of Hampton Roads, where two-thirds of the residents and most of the economic powerhouses are found.

http://www.dailypress.com/news/opinion/dp-ed_region_edit_1209dec09,0,2145682.story

[vdogg]

I encourage everyone to take time to fill out this form with regards to the Richmond/HR highspeed rail line. Comments are due by February 11, 2010. HR residents, it is imperative that we voice how much HSR is needed for Hampton Roads, southside in particular. I plan to post this link in all relevant HR forums, but please confine your comments to the thread.

[calwinston]

Virginia High Speed Rail

I'll begin by saying the proposals out currently for Virginia are not high speed rail. A train traveling at 110mph I repeat is not high speed! Maybe back in the 1950's it would have been considered as high speed!?

Today state officials are trying to start a line from DC to Hampton Roads. Instead of using 1940's technology for these trains they should be investing into Japans new maglev technology which is scheduled to go into service in the year 2025. These trains will have service from Nagoya to Tokyo (225 miles away) in 40 mins!

In America we have depended way too much on cars. This was also hindered by the car companies buying up rail lines in the country and letting fail into disrepair. This was a sad time in are history and we are still recovering from that period 50-60 years ago! Today we have been lapped so much in rail technology by other countries that we have to the US Transportation Secretary riding bullet trains in different countries looking to see who to award a contract too for high speed rail in the United States. Why?!?!

Virginia has a opportunity to be in the forefront of high speed rail. Instead of waiting for the federal government to help pay for a rail line officials should be clamering to be the first ones online with high speed rail. Not only will this get us noticed nationally but also across the world. Imagine traveling from DC to Hampton Roads in 45 minutes. DC to Richmond in 25 mins. From the time it takes to cross the HRBT(Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel) doing rush hour you could be in DC lounging in Georgetown. With Japans new maglev train technology this is a possibility. Also instead of having the government run the bullet train we could use Japans method and have private companies operate the lines. Virginia should be looking for investors national and international and sell us as a great place for high speed rail to be. This could be done under the same law that was enacted back in 1997 that opened up the door to public/private transporation projects.(example is Route 895 which is run by Transurban of Australia).(the Route 895 project was done 25 years in advance of projections with the private partnership).

Virginia has been ranked #1 as the best state for business the past four years by multiple magazines! Virginia has a low corporate tax base, great quality of life , one of the best school sytems in the country, and located smack dab in the middle of the east coast. This will all be improved with high speed rail. National and international companies will be clawing their way to come Virginia.

The time is now! Or tomorrow we will left in the dust and lapped 100 times over!

Hopefully it will become a part of daily life of every Virginian!

Rather, it's part of the fabric of daily life, something not so much taken for granted as relied upon. The sleek trains - better known outside Japan as bullet trains - shoot through much of the nation almost unnoticed every few minutes, efficiently hauling more than 300 million riders per year.The world's first high-speed rail line, the Shinkansen opened in 1964, just in time for the Tokyo Olympics, with a single line between Tokyo and Osaka. It was like nothing the world had seen, with dedicated tracks and a train that ran at speeds of 130 mph.

Japan's rail culture

Today, the Shinkansen, which means "new trunk line" in Japanese, covers about 1,400 miles on five lines. Another 400 miles of extensions are under construction and 300 miles are planned. Three private rail companies run the trains at speeds up to 186 mph on tracks built and maintained by the national government.

Japan's high-speed trains run with an efficiency, frequency and reliability unimaginable to those familiar with Amtrak or U.S. commuter railroads. The sleek trains with the distinctive long noses depart as often as 14 times an hour - and they're almost always on time. Over the past 45 years, the average delay is less than one minute - and that includes stoppages because of floods, earthquakes, accidents and natural disasters. Rail officials also note their safety record: There's never been a passenger fatality on the Shinkansen.

Chinese Bullet Train

http://money.cnn.com/video/fortune/2009/08/05/f_fr_china_bullet_train.fortune/

US Transportation Secretary travels to Japan

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100512/pl_afp/japanustradetransporttrain

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/aug/05/high-speed-rail-japan

High Speed Rail Lines in other countries

http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2009/aug/05/rail-transport-transport

San Francisco Chronicle Article about high speed rail in California

http://articles.sfgate.com/2010-05-09/news/20890794_1_chronicle-rail-exclusive

Virginia High Speed Rail

http://vhsr.com/