Virginia gets in line for high-speed rail funding

Virginia is taking a step today toward seizing a golden opportunity to develop high-speed rail through Richmond and other parts of the state.

The state is expected to file a preliminary application today for more than $1.5 billion in federal stimulus money to develop high-speed rail corridors in both directions from Richmond — to Washington and the Northeast, and to North Carolina and the Southeast.

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine would not release the details of the state's preliminary application yesterday, but spokesman Gordon Hickey said, "The governor feels very strongly about high-speed rail through Virginia. It's a high priority item for him."

Virginia is not expected to compete heavily for the initial round of high-speed rail funding because the state doesn't have many projects ready to go in a short time frame, according to Daniel L. Plaugher, executive director of Virginians for High Speed Rail.

However, the Richmond region stands to benefit greatly from the second round of applications, due Oct. 2, for developing high-speed rail corridors, according to former Richmond City Council President William J. Pantele, who is vice president and general counsel of the nonprofit advocacy group.

"The high-speed rail opportunity is the best . . . most important opportunity that this region will see in many, many years," Pantele said yesterday. "There's a good measure of feasibility now that we haven't had in previous years. There's money behind it."

The opportunity is offered through two major federal initiatives: the stimulus package, known as the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, and the upcoming Surface Transportation Reauthorization Act, which is critical for federal funds to support all state transportation projects.

The stimulus bill includes $8 billion for high-speed rail projects, while an initial proposal for the surface transportation bill would reserve $50 billion for developing high-speed rail systems, Plaugher told the Greater Richmond Chamber at a breakfast meeting yesterday at Willow Oaks Country Club in South Richmond.

The first step is meeting today's deadline for a preliminary application outlining the state proposal. "Anything that's not in the pre-application will not get funded, so it's a huge deadline," Plaugher said.

Virginia's proposed $1.51 billion plan includes $491 million in improvements around Richmond's Acca rail yard as well as Main Street Station in the city's downtown. The improvements are necessary to remove bottlenecks that limit rail service to the renovated station, which Plaugher said is the most likely place for trains from Washington to lay over until the return trip north.

The GRTC Transit System proposes to use the second floor of the Main Street Station train shed for a bus-transfer station. Plaugher said Amtrak is studying whether the proposal would be compatible with plans for high-speed rail at the same structure.

GRTC President and CEO John M. Lewis Jr. said yesterday that the proposed transfer center "absolutely can co-exist with high-speed rail."

Other parts of the state's proposal include:

$185 million to add a third rail track between Richmond and Fredericksburg;

$152 million to improve conventional rail service between Main Street Station and Petersburg; and

$195 million to upgrade the rail corridor between Richmond and Washington to allow high-speed trains that could cut the trip to 90 minutes on a reliable basis.

Kim Scheeler, president and CEO of the Greater Richmond Chamber, said his organization is working to build support for the state's proposal.

"It really is the kind of thing that can be transformational for this community," Scheeler said.