RICHMOND, Va. — Bringing high speed rail to South Hampton Roads will take at least 14 years if the route comes down the Peninsula and is included as part of a third bridge-tunnel across the harbor, the Virginian-Pilot reports.
But a new study concludes that another option is possible — one that could be built in about five years without waiting for the proposed $4.4 billion bridge-tunnel.
A high speed line between Richmond and Norfolk could run along a 105-mile freight-train corridor that parallels U.S. 460, the study says.
“The next step is to address the pros and cons for service on both sides of Hampton Roads,” said Alan C. Tobias, senior engineer for the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, which conducted the study.
So far, none of these projects has been funded.
The bridge-tunnel option would involve upgrading the passenger rail line that parallels Interstate 64 into Newport News.
That work would be easier because the tracks already carry two Amtrak trains a day. But the line could not be extended across the water to South Hampton Roads until the new bridge-tunnel was finished.
The U.S. 460 option could be developed for 110 mph trains for about the same cost as the Peninsula improvements — $236 million, the state figures. Norfolk Southern and CSX railroads, which own the freight tracks, say the state has underestimated the capital costs.
Stations would be at Richmond, Petersburg, Bowers Hill in Suffolk and Harbor Park in Norfolk.
At 110 mph, the trip would take 90 minutes and attract as many as 361,000 riders a year in 2025, the state estimates.
For a rail line with a maximum speed of 79 mph, the development costs would drop to $188 million, and travel time would grow by 15 minutes. That service would attract about 300,000 riders.
“We’ll have to determine if it’s worth the investment to be able to go 110 or is 79 mph sufficient,” Tobias said.
The study found that frequency of service affects ridership as much as speed does.
Richard L. Beadles, chairman of the Virginia High Speed Rail Development Committee, says the state can’t afford to dawdle.
“A traditional Virginia stall tactic is another study,” he said. “I’m getting too old for much more stalling.
“Interim steps to move us forward are so doable. I hate to see the whole process held hostage by more technical studies, with engineers fussing about minutiae.”
Proponents of high speed rail have begged for faster passenger trains in Virginia for years.
Plans are under way to upgrade the tracks between Washington and Richmond for high speed rail in the next five years. The state has allocated $67 million toward the $370 million project.
Tobias said the state’s second priority is connecting Hampton Roads, along whichever route proves most effective. And after that, south to North Carolina.
But some fear that the political strength of North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia governors could steer high speed rail south first, leaving Hampton Roads out in the cold, again.
The region was basically by-passed by the interstate highway system when I-95 and I-85 were built.
“We need to jump up and down and say this is important for our region,” said Harry T. Lester, a Virginia Beach businessman and member of the state high speed rail committee. “It’s the next interstate and we can’t afford to be left out.”