(The Virginian-Pilot posted the following article on its website on October 19.)
NORFOLK, Va. — More than 4.4 million trucks travel on congested Interstate 81 through the Shenandoah Valley each year, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation.
A 2003 study by the state concluded that investing about $2.7 billion in railroads could remove up to 720,000 of those trucks off of I-81. A year later, Norfolk Southern estimated that spending $875 million could take 500,000 trucks off the road each year.
Now, the state and the Norfolk-based railroad plan to take another look to see if it might make sense for the commonwealth to invest in helping the railroad upgrade its lines.
While most of the nation’s railroads were largely built with private money, Norfolk Southern has begun seeking government investment in its system, citing public benefits such as reduced traffic congestion, pollution and highway spending.
The federal government ponied up $125.4 million and the state chipped in $22.3 million for the Heartland Corridor, a $251 million project that will provide Norfolk Southern with a quicker and more direct route between the port of Hampton Roads and the Midwest.
Norfolk Southern also argues that improving its lines near I-81 enough to remove trucks from the highway can’t be done without public assistance.
“The capital investment will be greater than the benefits we would receive from it,” said spokesman Robin Chapman. “We could not justify that spending on our own.”
The joint Interstate 81 Freight Rail Study is to be completed by the summer by the railroad and the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation. The study will investigate the cost and feasibility of upgrading Norfolk Southern’s tracks running near the highway to handle more trains. It also will identify “high-impact, short-term” rail improvements.
Both the state and Norfolk Southern would benefit from such an undertaking, Chapman said. By taking trucks off the highway, Virginia wouldn’t have to spend as much to maintain and expand I-81 and polluting emissions would be reduced, he said. And the railroad would gain more business.
“We recognize that we have convergent interests in this,” Chapman said.
Extending from Knoxville, Tenn., north to the Canadian border, I-81 is a vital commercial corridor for moving goods.
The study will go beyond the 325 miles of I-81 inside Virginia, likely reaching from Knoxville, Tenn., to Harrisburg, Pa., a key Norfolk Southern hub. The exact boundaries are still being determined, said Jennifer Pickett, a rail department spokeswoman.
Norfolk Southern proposed the collaboration in August after the General Assembly passed legislation authorizing an I-81 rail study. The Commonwealth Transportation Board formally approved it on Oct. 11.
The state will spend $80,000 on its share of the work. Norfolk Southern would not say what it plans to spend.
Norfolk Southern will determine which of its rail routes near I-81 are best for handling freight normally carried on the highway by trucks. The Shenandoah line parallels the interstate; the Piedmont route, a main-line track with more capacity than the Shenandoah, passes through Lynchburg, Charlottesville and Manassas. A third option would shorten the Piedmont route by building a new line between Culpeper and Front Royal.
The railroad will work up the costs of preparing each route for the extra traffic and building new terminals. It also will examine operational issues, such as whether to haul entire trucks – the tractor and the trailer – on trains, something the railroad said it doesn’t do anywhere else on its 21,200-mile network.
The state rail department will have an independent audit done on Norfolk Southern’s recommendations to ensure they are not overly favorable toward the railroad, Pickett said.
The state also will determine the project’s benefits to the public and identify possible sources of funding.
The Virginia Trucking Association supports the rail study but wants to see the results before endorsing any project, said Dale Bennett, the group’s executive vice president. The group wants to be sure the state gets an adequate return on any investment, he said.
“There’s a lot of questions among people in the trucking industry as to whether or not they can really provide a service that will entice shippers and truckers to move their freight from the highway to the rail,” Bennett said. “That’s a question that needs to be answered.”