High-speed rail needs attention now

The Virginian-Pilot 5/14/09

THE ISSUE – Link to Hampton Roads presents a leadership challenge.

WHERE WE STAND – Only a governor can solve the dilemma.

THE POTENTIAL for highspeed, dependable passenger rail service to Hampton Roads is both an opportunity for the region to cooperate and a chance for it to widen an existing divide.

An environmental impact study due this summer will compare the costs and ridership forecasts for competing corridors. One would follow the existing Amtrak route down the Peninsula to Newport News. The other would finally open up South Hampton Roads to passenger rail.

The study’s release could trigger a destructive food fight between communities separated by the James River. Work is needed now to prevent that from happening.

Only a handful of regional leaders is actively advocating for highspeed rail. The most visible is Norfolk Mayor Paul Fraim, who has met with members of Congress, state lawmakers and fellow local government officials. But Fraim cannot solve the region’s dilemma alone. He needs a partner in Richmond.

Only a governor can come up with a deal that benefits both the Peninsula and South Hampton Roads. A solution may lie in a plan that extends passenger rail southward while improving the existing Amtrak service on the Peninsula. Another option could pair a high-speed rail project with another transportation initiative — for example, routing rail service through the million-plus residents of South Hampton Roads while reducing congestion on the Peninsula by widening Interstate 64. Other creative scenarios should be explored as well.

The timing of the rail project is awkward. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine has just eight months left in office; four men are competing to succeed him. Since Virginia cannot wait until next year to focus on rail, Kaine must commence the horse-trading now. But voters in Hampton Roads have a right to know what the four gubernatorial candidates will do to ensure the region isn’t left out of plans for a high-speed rail network along the East Coast.

President Barack Obama has earmarked $8 billion for the project. Rules for stimulus fund applications are due out June 17. The timing of the environmental study in Hampton Roads may make it difficult for the region to qualify for those dollars, but Obama intends to commit another $1 billion annually for five years to rail projects.

That should be a strong incentive for the region to start now and forge a unified strategy for securing a share of those funds, said Karen Rae, deputy administrator for the Federal Railroad Administration and Virginia’s former rail and transit chief.

“Having a common vision and working toward a common vision is very important,” she said this week in an interview. “If Hampton Roads is divided, that makes it a lot harder to push it to the top.”

One point of progress for those eager to see a southern route is new interest from Norfolk Southern, which owns the rails and has in previous years been cautious about allowing passenger trains on lines now reserved for freight. Spokesman Robin Chapman said the company is “open to the possibility”: “We recognize passenger service is something of value to the public.”

The pieces for a deal exist, but they must be gathered and fitted into a comprehensive proposal with broad support. The leader who makes that happen will be long remembered for his contribution to the region and the state.