When one ventures up Route 29 on the way to D.C., one seriously considers the thought of abandoning this worldly existence and becoming a hermit. Traffic and pollution (and, well, distance) make it impossible to enjoy a nice stroll to Washington. So what about the train?
Currently, the service offered by Amtrak between Charlottesville and D.C. is sporadic, slow and expensive. But the Piedmont Rail Coalition, spearheaded by long-time rail activist and former City Councilor Meredith Richards, has been advocating for more rail service along the Richmond-Charlottesville corridor since 2005.
 Meredith Richards is pushing for Lynchburg to D.C. passenger trains, but the funding rail still needs to be found. |
“We have now finally gotten a new service for the corridor committed by the state in a new Statewide Rail Plan that has been just released,” says Richards.
New service at this time means that one or two additional trains would be added to the Amtrak schedule with daily round trip service from Lynchburg to Washington D.C. “These trains would leave Lynchburg at about 5 in the morning and arrive in D.C. in time for a business meeting at 9 o’clock and off to New York City in time for lunch,” says Richards.
So what lies between the proposed plan and reality? Money.
The one-time capital for the entire line from Lynchburg to Washington, D.C.—now called the TransDominion Express is estimated at $206 million. Currently, $247 million over six years are devoted to local rail capital needs, coming from the car rental tax.
But perhaps the biggest challenge is finding money to cover the annual operating costs that Amtrak estimates at $1.86 million per train.
“Presently, Virginia has no funds for rail operations, which is why we have to come up with a new paradigm,” Richards says.
Charlottesville Delegate David Toscano is one of several state legislators who are searching for a solution. He points to the federal government, hinting at a recently passed Amtrak funding bill that could possibly cover some of the costs. “The third option, one that we are not pushing at the moment, but that may become necessary, would be some kind of local money.”
This option, according to both Toscano and Richards, would be a last resort. “It is problematic because localities don’t have a lot of money,” says Toscano.
“I think it’s entirely realistic to think that it would be 2010 when the first service will start,” says Richards. “Assuming we find the funding.”
But not everyone is that optimistic. “We have a lot of work to do before we can get the service up and running,” says Toscano. The challenges of a state budget deficit are going to be one of the obstacles on the course to success, says Toscano.
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