(The following story by Chip Jones appeared on the Richmond Times-Dispatch website on September 1.)
RICHMOND, Va. — Amtrak is backing off a plan to drop one of two daily round trips serving Tidewater and Richmond’s Main Street Station.
Members of Congress, local officials and rail service advocates had vigorously protested the proposal, coming as it did on the eve of the Jamestown 2007 celebration. Tourism officials have projected an influx of 1 million additional visitors to the Williamsburg area next year and have been hoping to increase rail service.
After a two-hour meeting yesterday with Amtrak executives in Richmond, state rail director Matt Tucker said, “Amtrak is not planning to make any changes to Virginia service at this time.”
Under pressure to slash operating costs, Amtrak was considering cutting 14 train trips a week in the Newport News-Richmond-Washington corridor.
Both sides characterized yesterday’s meeting as positive and cordial, with plans to improve on-time performance and other elements of passenger rail service
Tucker said he ruled out joining 13 states in providing direct subsidies in exchange for expanded service. Virginia traditionally has not provided direct payments to Amtrak.
“All citizens of the commonwealth contribute to the funds the federal government spends” on Amtrak, Tucker said.
Amtrak told him it’s seeking about $10 million a year to help defray the cost of running 20 trains a day in Virginia.
Amtrak spokesman Cliff Black said such subsidies help purchase additional service. Illinois, for instance, is doubling its $12 million payment in return for more trains. North Carolina pays Amtrak about $2.7 million a year, while California pays more than $75 million a year.
Black plans more talks with Tucker.
“We viewed today’s meeting as the beginning of a new and growing relationship with the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation,” Black said.
Both sides stressed that any decision about train service — including to Newport News — is contingent on the next federal budget. The Senate is considering an appropriation of $1.4 billion to run Amtrak in fiscal 2007, about $200 million less than the railroad’s request, Black said.
Congress approved $1.3 billion for Amtrak this fiscal year.
U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Davis, R-1st, said she is “pleased they’re willing to work together. I think we made our case about how important it would be. We need to make rail more accessible and more inviting for people to take as opposed to taking the interstate.” Her district includes Williamsburg and Fredericksburg.
Tucker also learned about service problems in the Virginia corridor, where trains run on schedule less than 60 percent of the time. He called that figure surprisingly low.
Amtrak’s overall on-time average is about 67 percent, with high-speed Acela trains running at an 84 percent on-time clip in the Northeast, Black said.
In much of the Southeast, Amtrak must share the track with freight railroad CSX Corp., which owns the rail. The state has financed more than $65 million in track improvements to help ease congestion.