During yesterday’s meeting, County Supervisor Ann Mallek brought up the idea of a Crozet-Charlottesville commuter train. Charlottesville Tomorrow reports that the Board agreed to further investigate the idea by sending a letter to U.S. Senator Mark Warner requesting advice on grant opportunities.
The proposed service would be operated by the Buckingham Branch Rail Road.
The idea of the commuter train arose during a conversation between John Pfaltz and Gale Wilson, the General Manager of the BBRR’s Richmond-Alleghany Division. According to Charlottesville Tomorrow, Mallek suggested the hiring of a consultant, for $95,000, to check the $5 million figure.
“We are convinced that such a commuter service would be successful (i.e. pay for itself), would relieve current congestion on US 250, and provide a low cost demonstration of the potential for alternative rail transit in the Commonwealth,” she writes in the letter.
Just last month, the Lynchburg-Washington D.C. regional commuter train gained a key approval to become reality.