BY CHELYEN DAVIS
RICHMOND--State Sen. Edd Houck hopes that heat restrictions on CSX tracks that delay Fredericksburg-line commuter trains in the summer can be reduced.
Houck took part in a meeting this week that included CSX President and CEO Michael J. Ward, Gov. Tim Kaine and members of Kaine's Cabinet.
Houck, a Spotsylvania County Democrat, said they discussed ways in which CSX and Virginia Railway Express could work around the heat restrictions that cause delays during summer months.
CSX, the Jacksonville, Fla.-based corporation, requires passenger and freight trains that share line between Fredericksburg and Washington to slow down when temperatures rise to 85 degrees or higher.
It's a safety precaution, but the result is slow trains and a drop-off in VRE usage by commuters who can't be sure they'll get to work or home on time.
Each heat restriction "causes the schedules to get out of balance and there has been some fall-off in the summer months in ridership," Houck said.
For VRE to be a viable option for commuters, he added, the service must be reliable.
So he's hoping, from discussions at the meeting, that CSX and VRE will come up with some scheduling options.
"They are willing to sit down and negotiate and figure out ways to do it differently, to try to make sure the riders are not inconvenienced by the heat restriction," Houck said.
He suggested that passenger trains get priority over freight trains during heat restrictions, to help keep to the schedule.
The state has a stake in improving the situation. It puts money into the tracks and other rail structures that are used by CSX, Houck said.
The heat restriction issue "needs to be part of the overall negotiations between the state and CSX, because the taxpayers are actually subsidizing CSX by way of paying for improvements on the tracks and the rail system," Houck said. "If we're going to use taxpayer money to improve the system, then CSX has to be mindful of the need to work with VRE for reliability and schedules and trying to maintain and enhance ridership."
Houck put an amendment in the state budget earlier this year to push for discussions of the heat restrictions.
"I feel that the budget amendment has been successful in that at least it gets heat restrictions as part of the dialogue that's going on with CSX and the funds that's going to be available," he said.
Houck said there was not a timeframe set on when, or if, CSX and VRE might negotiate some heat-restriction scheduling measures.
The timing is right. There's additional money budgeted for rail improvements as of July 1. Some of that money will go to VRE.
Secretary of Transportation Pierce Homer said that overall, the meeting was valuable and that Kaine stressed to the rail officials the importance of commuter rail in the badly congested Interstate 95 corridor.
Homer said CSX officials reiterated their safety concerns, and that Kaine emphasized the need for greater reliability for passenger rail such as VRE and Amtrak. Pierce said it will be a matter of "negotiation and shared investment" between the state, CSX and the federal government.
Chelyen Davis: 804/782-9362