U.S. money helps speed rail service in region: Federal funds will speed Amtrak trips north to Fredericksburg

RICHMOND, Oct 01, 2008 (The Free Lance-Star - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- CSX | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- Passenger train service between Richmond and Washington could become faster, thanks to a rail expansion project just south of Fredericksburg that's now getting some federal help.

Gov. Tim Kaine and U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters yesterday announced federal funding will help pay for an already-started project to help ease a choke point along the rail line in Spotsylvania County.

The project will construct a three-mile third track south of Fredericksburg so that faster trains can pass slower ones.

It will be the only location where a passenger train can overtake another train between Richmond and Alexandria, and is expected to improve the on-time performance of passenger trains to 80 percent.

It's projected to cost $13 million and be ready for use by mid-2009.

The federal government will now pay $2 million of that, Kaine said yesterday, freeing up that amount of state money for use for other rail improvements.

Peters said improvements to the Richmond-to-Washington rail corridor will help provide "a viable alternative to what seems like an always-clogged I-95 corridor."

Taking the train right now can sometimes be fraught with delays, spent sitting on a train behind a slower freight train.

Eventually, Kaine said, "you will be able to get quicker from downtown Richmond to Union Station on the train than you'll be able to drive from Leesburg in rush hour."

Amtrak riders may see an immediate benefit next summer.

"The plan is to reduce freight interference with passenger trains in that area," said Cliff Black, Amtrak's chief of corporate communications.

The project is "always welcome in what is becoming a more congested railroad environment," Black said.

From September 2007 to August 2008, 132,571 passengers rode Amtrak trains between Washington and Richmond. Ridership averages about 11,000 passengers a month between the cities.

It was unclear how the third track would directly affect Virginia Railway Express riders, unless Spotsylvania chooses to join the train service.

To offer service in Spotsylvania, VRE plans to make $19 million in track improvements over eight miles from the Fredericksburg train station to the possible Spotsylvania station.

The 3.1 miles of third track is "part of the link," said Mark Roeber, VRE's manager of public affairs and government relations. "It does in fact get us started on three miles of that segment out to where they're looking at potentially putting a station."

Spotsylvania County is not expected to shoulder the cost of the track improvements. That cost will be shared by a combination of possible sources: VRE, state and federal money, and the owner of the tracks, CSX Corp.

Paul Milde, a Stafford supervisor who serves as secretary on the VRE Operations Board, said, "This project is critical for establishing a VRE station in Spotsylvania County, so maybe the stars are aligning."

The money going to the Spotsylvania project is part of $30 million in new federal money going to 15 rail projects around the nation, Peters said.

More dollars for rail are needed as gas prices rise, prompting more and more drivers to get off the road and onto a train.

Peters said new data show that Americans drove 9.6 billion fewer miles in July 2008 than they did in July 2007, representing a 3.6 percent drop.

Meanwhile, transit ridership is up 11 percent, Peters said, and Amtrak reported carrying more passengers in July than in any other single month in its history.

While more rail use is good, Peters and Kaine said, the federal government must find new ways to pay for needed rail improvements.

Peters said the government relies on federal gasoline taxes to fund rail and transit infrastructure, and with people driving less, those tax revenues are going down, which means different sources are needed.

"The very way we finance these systems is at risk," Peters said. "The way Americans are traveling is changing before our very eyes It's time to diversity our antiquated transportation funding policies."

Asked for specifics, Peters said private money could be used, in conjunction with government dollars.

Kaine said relying on the gas tax, at either the federal or state level, is "leaning on a revenue source that's running away even as you try to catch it."

During this past year's General Assembly debate over state transportation funding, Kaine shied away from suggesting an increase in the gas tax for the same reasons, arguing it's a revenue source that is likely to shrink, not grow.

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