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Federal funds will speed Amtrak trips north to Fredericksburg Date published: 10/1/2008
RICHMOND-- Passenger train service between Richmond and Washington could become faster, thanks to a rail expansion project just south of Fredericksburg that's now getting some federal help.Gov. Tim Kaine and U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters yesterday announced federal funding will help pay for an already-started project to help ease a choke point along the rail line in Spotsylvania County. The project will construct a three-mile third track south of Fredericksburg so that faster trains can pass slower ones. It will be the only location where a passenger train can overtake another train between Richmond and Alexandria, and is expected to improve the on-time performance of passenger trains to 80 percent. It's projected to cost $13 million and be ready for use by mid-2009. The federal government will now pay $2 million of that, Kaine said yesterday, freeing up that amount of state money for use for other rail improvements. Peters said improvements to the Richmond-to-Washington rail corridor will help provide "a viable alternative to what seems like an always-clogged I-95 corridor." Taking the train right now can sometimes be fraught with delays, spent sitting on a train behind a slower freight train. Eventually, Kaine said, "you will be able to get quicker from downtown Richmond to Union Station on the train than you'll be able to drive from Leesburg in rush hour." Amtrak riders may see an immediate benefit next summer. "The plan is to reduce freight interference with passenger trains in that area," said Cliff Black, Amtrak's chief of corporate communications. The project is "always welcome in what is becoming a more congested railroad environment," Black said. From September 2007 to August 2008, 132,571 passengers rode Amtrak trains between Washington and Richmond. Ridership averages about 11,000 passengers a month between the cities. It was unclear how the third track would directly affect Virginia Railway Express riders, unless Spotsylvania chooses to join the train service. To offer service in Spotsylvania, VRE plans to make $19 million in track improvements over eight miles from the Fredericksburg train station to the possible Spotsylvania station.
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