Puzzling is the only word to describe it.
In Richmond, proponents of “high speed” rail say that $1.6 billion federal funds would help bump passenger train speeds from about 50 m.p.h. to about 90 m.p.h. on crowded CSX track from Petersburg to Washington.
The state estimates that another route in the state — passenger train service from Petersburg to Norfolk — would cost another $262 million on the east-west coal mainline owned and operated by Norfolk Southern.
Now, the Norfolk-based railroad says that upgrading the line through peanut country would cost peanuts, namely about $75 million, or a lot less than the state estimate.
Go figure.
According to The Virginian-Pilot, state train official Chip Badger says that Norfolk Southern’s estimate does not include stations that would serve the line that roughly follows the arrow- straight farmlands along U.S. 460.
Even if that were true, one wonders why it is that Norfolk Southern seems somehow less congested than CSX., whose Acca Yard in Richmond can slow down Amtrak trains by 45 minutes.
And even if the state winds $1.6 billion from the $8 billion the Obama Administration is making available for “high speed” rail, it would like take $4 to $5 billion to make any passengers runs truly “high speed,” meaning faster than 110 m.p.h. That’s because they’d have to buy up land to seal off all grade crossings, electrify the Petersburg-D.C. route and build a new bridge over the Potomac.
NS’s estimate gives encouragement to passenger rail proponents, but it also raises a lot of questions. Just how much would improving service really cost?
Peter Galuszka
