(The Associated Press circulated the following story by Bob Lewis on September 1.)
RICHMOND, Va. — The state’s long-range goal of reducing the demands on Virginia’s congested and often out-of-date roads and putting more passengers and freight on rails will require a substantial commitment and cash, railroad executives said Wednesday.
Rail carriers aren’t willing to lose money on the sort of public-private ventures Virginia’s new Commission on Rail Enhancement for the 21st Century is exploring, said Craig Lewis, a corporate vice president for Norfolk Southern railroad. But they will cooperate if the investments and risks they would make are acceptable, he said.
“Every project is different, and what you need to do is look at the project and essentially quantify the private benefit (and) quantify the public benefit,” Lewis said.
“This is an art form, this is not a science, and what the freight railroads have said is that we are prepared to step up and make the commitments for investment that are commensurate with the private-side benefit that we are likely to receive. That’s why you have the partnership concept,” Lewis said.
The panel was appointed by Gov. Mark R. Warner to study rail alternatives for alleviating the crush of automobiles and trucks that have produced gridlock on some primary traffic arteries in the state. Its particular concern is regular, reliable intercity rail service for the busy corridors connecting Washington, Richmond and Hampton Roads as well as Interstate 81 along the state’s western rim.
Making the case for expanded passenger rail service is a lengthy process for state and local governments that demands not only a substantial commitment of capital but detailed planning and research, said Andrew J. Galloway, an Amtrak senior director for strategic planning.
“You have to look at operating expenses in developing a forecast that, in our view, really has to be budget-quality. It has to talk about, very honestly and very accurately, how much it will cost to operate that line,” Galloway told the panel.
A proposed Richmond-to-Washington line, for example, is ranked by Amtrak only as a second-tier proposal because it is not as comprehensive as those submitted by other areas, including North Carolina. There, he said, a proposal for a new Charlotte-to-Raleigh link was more complete and is regarded by the federally supported passenger rail line as a first-tier proposal.
“The issue comes down to developing a service plan and identifying where the funding will come from,” he said.
In North Carolina, for instance, the state has already moved ahead in purchasing some of the necessary equipment and infrastructure, some of which is difficult to find, Galloway said. For instance, no company in North America presently produces rail cars that meet the safety standards required in the United States.
“The opportunities to acquire the equipment on a short-term basis is a real challenge,” he said. While many foreign firms make rail cars, “North America has unique requirements for structural integrity and safety requirements that virtually no other country has.”
Because 90 percent of the rails on which Amtrak operates are owned by private freight-hauling railroads such as CSX and Norfolk Southern–the nation’s dominant, Virginia-based rail lines _ passenger rail projects don’t get completed without those companies’ cooperation, Galloway said.