(The following article by Chip Jones was posted on the Richmond Times-Dispatch website on September 5.)
RICHMOND, Va. — Norfolk Southern Corp. is getting $95 million in federal funds to rebuild rail tunnels and make other changes to speed container shipments from Hampton Roads and into the Midwest.
The Norfolk-based railroad said yesterday that it has reached an agreement with the Federal Highway Administration, along with Ohio, West Virginia and Virginia, to receive the funding.
The project, known as the Heartland Corridor, will upgrade rail lines for double-stacked international maritime and domestic containers from ports in Hampton Roads to Columbus, Ohio.
Gov. Timothy M. Kaine hailed the potential of the public-private partnership, saying it would increase access for the Virginia Port Authority facilities in Hampton Roads and take freight off trucks and onto trains.
The Commonwealth Transportation Board has approved an additional $22 million in state funds for Virginia’s portion of the 1,100-mile rail project during the next three years.
The project involves raising tunnel clearances and modifying other overhead obstructions in western Virginia, West Virginia and Ohio. This, in turn, will make it possible to run more double-stack trains through the region.
The project is expected to begin by early next year, Norfolk Southern spokesman Robin Chapman said.
Norfolk Southern wants to expand its shipping capacity, improve the consistency of service and cut shipping times.
Wick Moorman, the railroad’s chief executive officer, said he expects the project will stimulate economic growth throughout the region and improve the nation’s ability to compete for international trade.
The Roanoke area has a stake in the work. Norfolk Southern is negotiating with landowners in Montgomery County west of Roanoke to build an $18 million train-to-truck transfer facility to serve the Heartland Corridor, Chapman said.
The railroad hopes to build the intermodal center in Montgomery’s Elliston community off U.S. 460, with good access to Interstate 81, Chapman said.