FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION : PASSENGER RAIL

Southeast Corridor

Description

Major cities: Washington, Richmond, Raleigh, Charlotte, Atlanta, Columbia, Macon, Savannah, Birmingham, Jacksonville

Segment	Mileage	Top Speed (goal)	Travel Time (goal)
Washington to Richmond	118	110 mph	2:10 hr
Richmond to Hampton Roads	74	110 mph	1:30 hr
Richmond, Raleigh, Greensboro to Charlotte	338	110 mph	4:25 hr
Charlotte to Atlanta	260	110 mph	n/a hr
Atlanta to Macon	84	110 mph	n/a hr

Southeast Corridor

Accomplishments and Status:

Virginia and North Carolina have completed a high-speed study for the Southeast Corridor, for which the FRA's study (High-Speed Ground Transportation for America) projected relatively strong performance due to the expected high volume of profitable through traffic over the Northeast Corridor.

North Carolina has been working with Virginia, South Carolina and Georgia to extend high-speed rail from Washington D.C. -- first to Richmond, Raleigh and Charlotte, then Charlotte to Atlanta/Macon and finally from Raleigh to Columbia, Savannah and Jacksonville. The two states have created the Virginia-North Carolina High Speed Rail Commission to provide legislative oversight for the project.

Virginia and North Carolina, together with the FHWA and FRA, in October 2002 completed a Tier I Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Washington, DC to Charlotte portion of the Southeast High Speed Rail (SEHSR). The EIS examined the need for the project and identified potential impacts along nine possible routes. A final environmental impact statement was completed and a record of decision was issued selecting the Southeast Corridor route. The Tier II EIS of the Petersburg, VA to Raleigh, NC portion of the route has recently begun. The Tier II EIS will address the effects of restoring 70 route miles of track between Petersburg, VA and Norlina, NC where former CSX through freight service on the CSX "S" Line (for the predecessor Seaboard Air Line Railroad) had been abandoned and the track was removed. The right-of-way and major bridges remain intact because of other utility uses.

The Federal Railroad Administration and the Federal Highway Administration jointly manage the Section 1103(c) grade crossing hazard elimination program in designated high-speed corridors. $14.139 million has been invested in reducing grade crossing hazards in the Southeast Corridor since the program's beginning in 1993. Details on the grade crossing inventory in this corridor can be found Here (not available) .

For more information see the Southeast Corridor environmental review page . Activities thus far in each of the States of the designated Southeast Corridor are described below.

Virginia

Accomplishments and Status:

With the assistance of the Commonwealth, the railroads, and other interested parties, Amtrak and FRA collaborated on a detailed investigation of the track improvements required to provide reliable, 2-hour 110 mph service between Union Station, Washington, and a revitalized and reopened Main Street Station in the heart of Richmond. A report to Congress entitled Potential Washington-Richmond Improvements was completed in May 1999 . The study's prime conclusion is that such expedited, center-to-center service is possible on a reliable basis, without adverse effects on commuter and freight services, provided that a major improvements to the infrastructure are implemented.

The Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (VDRPT) has spent a total of $16.8 million on improvements to the Richmond to Washington corridor through FY 2003. For fiscal year 2004 and 2005, Virginia plans to spend an additional $63.3 million for high-speed rail in the Richmond-Washington corridor as part of the $348 million estimated total for the project. The State is now contracting for the 2004 work with available funds. The downtown Richmond Main Street Station, owned by the City of Richmond, recently reopened after a City-funded three-phase $51.6 million renovation.

Virginia completed a study on upgrading the signal and communications systems on the rail corridor from Washington, D.C. through Richmond to Charlotte, N.C. The study recommends improvements to the signal system that will accommodate increased frequencies and speeds for passenger trains.

VDRPT and FR have initiated a Tier I environmental impact statement to select a route for high-speed rail service between Richmond and Hampton Roads. For more information see the Southeast Corridor environmental review page . Previously, the State completed an Interstate-64 Major Investment Study between Richmond and Newport News that included a comprehensive analysis of intercity rail alternatives. The study recommended the widening of I-64, but it also recommended double tracking the existing CSX rail line, increasing passenger train speeds to 110 mph, and increasing frequencies to 6 round trips per day.

Outlook:

The Richmond-Washington corridor has the highest priority for high-speed rail in Virginia, and improvements will benefit both intercity rail service and commuter rail service provided in Northern Virginia by the Virginia Railway Express (VRE). The Commonwealth's Transportation Board recently announced support for a six-stage high-speed rail plan for the Richmond to Washington portion of the corridor although financing for the entire $348 million project has not been obtained. The Commonwealth's goal is to upgrade the corridor to provide sufficient additional capacity to accommodate projected expansion of intercity and commuter service, and to increase maximum speeds to 110 mph-from the current 70 mph-so that 90 minute downtown-to-downtown service can be provided.

North Carolina

Accomplishments and Status:

In 1999, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) purchased the North Carolina Railroad that stretches from Charlotte to Moorehead City (317 miles) for $71.6 million. North Carolina invested almost $115 million to buy the line, purchase rolling stock, and upgrade stations, track and signals.

The State's Sealed Corridor Initiative for the segments of the high-speed corridor from Carey to Charlotte has increased safety by closing redundant crossings and providing the appropriate practical, low cost treatment for crossings in the entire corridor. Such treatments include four-quadrant gates, longer gate arms, median barriers, and video monitoring and ticketing of violators. One or more of these treatments now cover 168 public crossings. FRA provided $12.63 million toward this effort.

Station work is underway in Greensboro, Kannapolis, Salisbury and Cary. Work has been completed on stations at Wilson and Selma and planning is underway at Charlotte, Durham and Raleigh.

North Carolina and Virginia formed a 12-member bi-State commission in 2001 to review and encourage development of high-speed train service from Washington, DC to Charlotte. As part of their duties, the members meet with railroad officials, State and local officials and other interested parties.

Georgia and South Carolina

Accomplishments and Status:

South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia are participating in a $400,000 study of the Charlotte-Atlanta-Macon portion of the Southeast Corridor. The FRA and the states funded this study 50/50. The study will determine the ridership, operations and upgrading requirements for high-speed (110 mph maximum) service on the existing Norfolk Southern alignment and a final draft in being reviewed.

The Atlanta to Macon portion of the corridor is a high priority for Georgia DOT for commuter rail into downtown Atlanta. Studies have been undertaken and preliminary engineering has been completed. An arrangement with Norfolk Southern is being negotiated for use of the line and commuter rail is now scheduled to begin by early 2006. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has approved the State's financial plan for daily commuter service from Lovejoy, which is about 26 miles to the south, and the first phase of the downtown Atlanta terminal. The FTA has also issued a finding of no significant impact for the Athens commuter line to downtown Atlanta.

Work is underway on the return of passenger trains to an intermodal facility on the downtown Atlanta site of the former Terminal Station. A joint Georgia/CSX railroad capacity study for the downtown Atlanta area is about to begin. The study has been funded by the Georgia DOT at $2 million and will require one year to complete.

Southeast Corridor Contacts
*Organization*	*Personal Contact*	*Topics*
North Carolina DOT 1553 Mail Service Center Raleigh, NC 27699-1553	Pat Simmons Director, Rail Division Tel: 919-733-4713 (ext 263, 224) Fax: 919-715-6580 pbsimmons@dot.state.nc.us	Amtrak passenger, freight and grade crossings.
VDRPT 1313 East Main Street, Suite 300 Richmond, VA 23218-0590	Kevin B. Page Director Tel: 804-786-3963 Fax: 804-225-3752 kevin.page@drpt.virginia.gov	Amtrak passenger, freight, and grade crossings.
Georgia DOT Office of Intermodal Programs 276 Memorial Drive SW, 2nd Floor Atlanta, GA 30303-3743	Hal Wilson Administrator Tel: 404-651-9201 Fax: 404-657-4221 hal.wilson@dot.state.ga.us	Amtrak passenger, freight, and grade crossings.
South Carolina DOT 955 Park Street, Room 345 Columbia, SC 29202-0191	Glenneth Johnson Deputy Director for Mass Transit Tel: 803-737-0831 Fax: 803-737-0145 johnsonGC@scdot.org	Amtrak passenger, freight, and grade crossings.

Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) contacts for the Southeast HSR Corridor