(The following article by Chip Jones was posted on the Times-Dispatch website on February 4.)
RICHMOND, Va. — Citing a need “to bring rail back as a major component of transportation in Virginia,” state Sen. John S. Edwards, D-Roanoke, yesterday called for the formation of a Virginia Rail Authority.
He is co-sponsoring a bill to provide bonds that would pay for improvements to the tracks, bridges and other “outdated infrastructure” of Virginia’s railroads.
Edwards stressed that the revenue bonds would be financed by sur- charges on freight railroads and rail passengers who benefit from the upgrades. State tax dollars would not be used for the bonds, he said.
According to one private estimate, it would cost at least $2.5 billion to bring Virginia’s railroads up to par.
The Roanoke legislator highlighted the need to find transportation alternatives, especially with the increasing number of trucks using Interstate 81 in western Virginia.
The rail bill is backed by 39 localities along I-81 from Bristol to Winchester, Edwards said. It’s also supported by business, environmental and passenger-rail advocacy groups across Virginia.
The measure is co-sponsored by a Republican legislator, Sen. John Watkins of Powhatan, and is supported by Gov. Mark R. Warner.
The Senate passed a similar measure last year, but the House delayed passage until the rail financing received more study. If approved, the Virginia Rail Authority would be governed by a nine-member board named by the governor.
Its governing panel would include two members to represent the interests of freight railroads, and two to represent passenger-rail patrons. The other five are at-large seats.
Modeled on the Virginia Port Authority, the group would approve funding of projects proposed by state rail planners or by private rail interests, such as CSX Corp. and Norfolk Southern Corp.
Both of the largest railroad operators in the state support the proposal since, as Edwards said, they have struggled for years to pay for capital improvements.
“I have not seen any opposition to this,” Edwards said, including any from trucking interests.
The authority’s projects would be run by the state Department of Rail and Public Transportation.
Recent derailments on CSX, which often have delayed passenger service, can be blamed on the railroad’s inability to repair and improve its track and other infrastructure, according to Edwards.
“Outdated infrastructure is key to all that,” he said.