Priorities
Investment in high-speed rail
Jan 28 2010
Senator Warner and Senator Jim Webb announced today that Virginia has been awarded nearly $75 million in stimulus funds to upgrade passenger rail capacity between Richmond and Washington, D.C.
The funding will go toward the construction of a third track segment along 11.4 miles of CSX-owned track between Arkendale in Stafford County and Powell’s Creek in Prince William County, along the Southeast High-Speed Rail Corridor. This section of track also serves the Marine Corps Base Quantico.
The upgrade will allow passenger and freight trains to share the same rail corridor and travel up to 110 mph, eventually reducing trip time by one-third and allowing more reliable performance for high-speed Amtrak passenger trains and Virginia Railway Express commuter trains.
Senator Warner said of the award:
“This project will create construction jobs and spur economic activity at the local level, and eventually it will be part of the larger effort to provide congestion relief and help reduce our nation’s dependence on fossil fuels. We had hoped for additional resources from this round of funding. However, this project is ready to go, with preliminary engineering and environmental work already completed.”
Today’s $75 million grant is a portion of $620 million designated by the U.S. Department of Transportation for the Charlotte-Richmond-Washington, D.C. rail corridor.
For more information on the project, click here (pdf) to read a background briefing from the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation.
