RADFORD — Thanks to a shot of financial stimulation from the state , the prospect of passenger rail service in and out of the New River Valley appears more likely.
The Commonwealth Transportation Board has agreed to allocate $350,000 out of its budget for an operational analysis study, conducted by Norfolk Southern Railway, that would assess the feasibility of passenger rail service alongside already existing freight traffic in the area.
The state money comes as a major boost to NRV 2020 — a bipartisan regional group of political and business leaders dedicated to getting passenger rail service extended to the NRV.
The group identified several spots throughout the valley where their proposed 1,000-foot station with 200 parking spots could be built.
To date, the lead candidate remains an acre-long stretch of property along Mill Road in Christiansburg near the town’s Aquatic Center. The town purchased that plot of land for $150,000 earlier this year.
During a legislative reception on Wednesday at Radford University, project leaders celebrated the long lobbied-for state money and vowed to replicate the success of a similar effort in Roanoke.
“With the concentration of students both at Virginia Tech and Radford this makes a lot sense for the region,” said Ray Smoot, chair of NRV 2020 and a former Virginia Tech administrator. “I think a lot of the ridership [out of Roanoke] will come from here. So let’s just bring them on home.”
Three and a half years ago, the state approved a $100 million plan to bring Amtrak service back to Roanoke after it ended in 1979. The first train out of Roanoke is scheduled to leave on Oct. 31.
Aiming to capitalize on Amtrak’s expansion into the western part of the state, NRV 2020 conducted an NRV-specific market study survey in 2015 to quantify need and travel habits.
It found a train out of the New River Valley would service about 40,000 passenger trips yearly to places north and east such as Lynchburg and Washington, D.C.
Comparatively, the Virginia Department of Transportation estimates about 1 million trips by car are taken northbound on I-81 out of the New River Valley each year.
Much of optimism about the potential popularity of an extended service relies on the assumption of student travel along the Eastern Seaboard.
“I think what you’re seeing is a market change,” said Kevin Byrd, executive director of the New River Valley Regional Commission. “People are realizing that 81 is not always the most reliable or safe option, so this is logical.”
The operational analysis study is slated to begin next July. At the same time, NRV 2020 will need to determine if Amtrak will require a separate feasibility study and then draw up specifics on a passenger station or platform.
Estimates on how much such a facility would cost aren’t currently available, Smoot said.
U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Salem, joined General Assembly members Sen. John Edwards, D-Roanoke; Del. Nick Rush, R-Christiansburg; and Del. Joseph Yost, R-Pearisburg, for a panel discussion during Wednesday’s event.
“All four of us can attest to the congestion on 81,” Yost said. “It’s so much more than traffic, though. It’s connectivity to the northern part of the state. This is one of the fastest growing regions in the state.”
Yet a dose of skepticism was injected into the conversation by Griffith.
At the federal level, cuts by President Donald Trump’s administration to the nation’s rail system and long-distance Amtrak service spurred a question from the crowd about the sentiment in Congress regarding the importance of rail transportation nationwide.
“We can’t waste a lot of money. We need to make sure what we’re doing makes sense,” Griffith said. “We can’t be building a line just to make people happy. I believe with the student population you can get there. But we have to be able to show that it’s not going to be a line where [Amtrak is] losing money.”
Edwards, an advocate for upgraded funding in infrastructure and specifically rail transportation in the state, said he thinks “we’ll find the money,” for a station in Christiansburg.
“This can be a huge success. I’m sure we can make it happen,” Edwards said. “I’ve been telling everyone in Richmond that will listen to me: There is a market here in Southwest Virginia. I’ll guarantee you if we can get a train out there, it will be worthwhile.”
Source: Amtrak to the NRV? State gives $350,000 for feasibility study | News | roanoke.com