High-speed trains in the Tri-Cities?

The Petersburg Progress-Index ^ | 03/11/2004 | JASON REEVES

[Willie Green]

For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use.

PETERSBURG - Imagine boarding a high-speed train in Petersburg and riding the rails to Richmond, Williamsburg or the beach.

Project leaders for a proposed Richmond to Hampton Roads passenger train service held a public hearing at Union Station yesterday on the rail, part of a nationwide high-speed rail corridor designated by Congress in 1992.

From Petersburg, the local pathway would run north to Richmond and then follow the existing amtrack route east to Williamsburg and ultimately the Newport News-Hampton area.

Commuters also could board in Petersburg and head east along the path of U.S. Route 460 to the coastal cities of South Hampton Roads.

The network has tentative stops in Petersburg, Norfolk, Newport News, Williamsburg, Providence Forge and at Richmond's historic Main Street Station.

State officials say it could one day help alleviate congestion along Interstate 95 and Interstate 64. It also could bring an upscale crowd south of the Appomattox, said Ed Maynard, a Richmond resident who has patented his own high-speed rail system.

"Petersburg could be a very affluent bedroom community for Richmond," he said. "It has history, flair and (Old Towne has) a village-kind of atmosphere."

Attract a more prominent community to the city and "the Army Corps of Engineers will find a way to dredge the (Appomattox) River," said Maynard.

Dr. James C. Davenport, professor emeritus at Virginia State University, said Petersburg was in a revitalization mode and passenger trains could only help. He envisioned travelers getting off Interstate 95 here to board the trains - bound for destinations across the commonwealth - and also travelers riding the rails into Petersburg for visits to Old Towne or Civil War sites.

"This is a golden opportunity and we can't afford not to be visible," said Davenport, urging local officials and citizens to support the transportation initiative. "It could do so much for the local economy."

The proposed rail network is part of a federally designated nationwide high-speed rail corridor that includes tracks spanning the entire East Coast.

"We're looking at a project that is part of a potential New England to Florida system," said project manager Roger Millar.

They are envisioned as a competitive alternative to automobiles and planes for trips of 100 miles to 500 miles. Any shorter and travelers would rather drive, and any longer and they would prefer to fly, Millar said.

The Commonwealth Transportation Board has the final say on the proposed network of tracks in Virginia, but the entire high-speed rail initiative is dependent on federal funding.

"If you want to know what it's going to look like and how much it will cost, ... we don't know yet," said Millar. "It's not all over until the paperwork is done."

[Willie Green]

What is High Speed Ground Transportation?

High-speed ground transportation (HSGT)-- a family of technologies ranging from upgraded existing railroads to magnetically levitated vehicles-- is a passenger transportation option that can best link cities lying about 100-500 miles apart. Common in Europe ( The European Railway Server) and Japan (Japan Railways Group), HSGT in the United States already exists in the Northeast Corridor (Amtrak Expands Acela Express Service) between New York and Washington, D.C. and will soon serve travelers between New York and Boston. 

HSGT is self-guided intercity passenger ground transportation that is time competitive with air and/or auto on a door-to-door basis for trips in the approximate range of 100 to 500 miles. This is market-based, not a speed based definition. It recognizes that the opportunities and requirements for HSGT differ markedly among different pairs of cities. High-speed ground transportation (HSGT) is a family of technologies ranging from upgraded steel-wheel-on-rail railroads to magnetically levitated vehicles.

The Federal Railroad Administration has designated a variety of high density transportation corridors within our nation for development of HSGT:

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For more information, please visit the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA’s) High Speed Ground Transportation Website

[billorites]

"Petersburg could be a very affluent bedroom community for Richmond," he said. "It has history, flair and (Old Towne has) a village-kind of atmosphere."

Yeah, and pigs could fly.

Petersburg is a nice place to visit for elderly Civil War phreaks.

Otherwise, there's not a lot of future, like work, for young people.

[sharktrager]

You know...sometimes this whole train fixation freaks me out.

What would Freud say?

[gathersnomoss]

This article sounds as though it has been written by the Richmond City Council. Head up a**.

[Fester Chugabrew]

Hope it works out. I'd love to see it, but I'd also want to see it happen via private investors who succeed beyond their wildest dreams.

[billorites]

I love Petersburg, I love the Quartermaster Corp, I love the whole Richmond-Penninsula area.

Do young people have job opportunities thereabouts?

[Willie Green]

What would Freud say?

Perhaps he'd sing:

Fee.. fie... fiddly-i-o
Fee fie fiddly-i-o-o-o-o
Fee... fie... fiddly-i-ooooooooooooo
Strummin' on the ol' banjo...

[gathersnomoss]

What are your interests and how are they possibly tied to your education?