Still seeking better rail

Charlottesville Daily Progress
Published: April 28, 2008

Thirty days to win better rail service?
Well, let’s get moving.
Improved passenger service to Washington has long been a goal of rail advocates and ordinary passengers alike.
The one daily D.C. train that now serves Charlottesville and points north and south is typically booked so far in advance on weekdays that many travelers can’t get a seat.
Amtrak did try adding extra seating a few years back. But the cars that it used to provide that capacity were described by commuters as atrocious. The experiment flopped.
Despite that, there has continued to be anecdotal evidence that commuters and pleasure travelers want added capacity, backed up by Amtrak’s history of frequently sold-out trains from Lynchburg to Washington.
A rail advocacy group that met in Culpeper last week seemed encouraged by Amtrak’s openness toward the idea of adding a second train.
Members of the group suggested that communities along the U.S. 29 corridor have a 30-day “window of opportunity” to convince Amtrak and state officials to add the train.
Another route — paralleling Interstate 95 and serving Richmond and Washington — is in competition for the route.
The state is involved because state money would be needed to help support the train.
There’s the downside to the proposal. Amtrak estimates it would need some $1.8 million a year in state assistance. In time of tight budgeting, the proposed subsidy raises legitimate questions.
How important is it for Virginia to invest in passenger rail? What are the economic payoffs?
State and regional support for Amtrak is part of the new paradigm, as the federal government continues to push responsibilities down to lower levels of government, in this and other areas.
Transportation subsidies are not new, however. State and federal governments have long subsidized highways, so helping support rail is precedented.
Factions still argue, however, over which subsidy is more efficient and more useful to taxpayers.
Rising fuel prices should be tilting that argument toward preference for mass transportation, however.
The state’s Department of Rail and Public Transportation was described by rail advocates as supportive of expanding train service.
If it’s going to happen, we naturally hope it’s going to happen here.
This area has a long history of advocating for better rail service — we hope state officials have noticed.
Thirty days to convince officials that we want and deserve better service? We’ve being trying to win that debate for years.