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By Roger Chesley The Virginian-Pilot June 5, 2012 Optimism fills Thelma Drake's voice when she talks about passengerrail in Virginia. That trait must come with the job. So do the challenges. The former congresswoman leads the Virginia Department of Rail andPublic Transportation, and she often touts the possibilities that arefurbished track-and-train system could provide. After a decades-long hiatus, rebirth of passenger service fromNorfolk should take place by December. The round trip will leavethe city for Richmond, Washington and other points north. Officialsare planning two more round trips, too. Benefits are easy to list: - Riding in comfort to the nation's capital without the frequentcongestion on interstates 64 or 95. - Preparing for a business meeting instead of cursing motorists whocut you off on the highway. - Stretching your legs by walking along the aisle. Otherwise, youwould have to stop the car to ease the pain in your joints - Iwould, anyway. Such rosy scenarios, however, face a looming detour: a lack ofmoney. It's no surprise if this gives you a sense of deja vu. Virginia's budget for new road construction, for example, could bebarren as soon as 2017. Local leaders in the "GoldenCrescent" communities - including Hampton Roads, the Richmondarea and Northern Virginia - will meet Thursday to push the GeneralAssembly to raise new money for transportation. So it's understandable that officials also face problems keepingpassenger service solvent in the long run. "The reality is, we have to have a dedicated source forpassenger trains," Drake told me Monday. "We have alittle bit of time" to figure it out. She was in Norfolk last week to discuss rail developments. Some 250people attended that meeting. The looming challenge for train service is obvious. Federal moneyfor regional passenger rail ends in 2013. The state will need tensof millions of dollars annually for operations, capital costs andother improvements. Gov. Bob McDonnell helped by including $25 million in his budgetfor two years, but state officials can't continue to shift dollarsfrom different pots of money without threatening other priorities. It's sensible to brainstorm ways to keep travelers off the highwaysand on the tracks. Train service lowers road congestion - and bloodpressure. The Pilot has reported that 44,000 residents from South HamptonRoads travel to Newport News each year to board a train at theAmtrak station. Amtrak's early estimates show that about 67,000customers would use the Norfolk service annually - or close to 200daily passengers. The Norfolk station will be at Harbor Park. This native Washingtonian looks forward to hopping a train on thisside of the water. The trip to Newport News always added time tothe journey. Without more state money, though, the convenience could beshort-lived. Given the tax-averse nature of the General Assembly,local train service could hit a dead end. Roger Chesley, 757-446-2329, roger.chesley@pilotonline.com , pilotonline.com/chesley. I am an expert from healthy-e-cigarette.com, while we provides the quality product, such as China EGO E-cigarette , Atomized Cartridge Manufacturer, Health Cigarette Lady Pipe,and more.
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