What do you think of the high-speed rail?

Notice: Comments that are not conducive to an interesting and thoughtful conversation may be removed at the editor’s discretion.

1. Scott Burger on July 22, 2009 7:00 AM said:

   I am very supportive of getting high speed rail in Richmond. I have only been waiting about 15 years (so far) for it. This is part of the Richmond potential that has been held back for so long.

   Acca train yard is a major stumbling block for the current passenger rail and the government needs to make sure CSX is on board and cleans Acca up. (I am also a CSX shareholder).

   I would like to see bicycle paths brought into the planning as well. We need the East Coast Greenway (greenway.org) and Virginia Capitol Trail to be developed in conjunction with more passenger rail.
2. Tess on July 22, 2009 9:17 AM said:

   As usual, I agree with Scott. If there’s one thing I hate, it’s driving in D.C. High-speed rail would make my chief pleasure in life, day trips, a lot easier. I would hope that Richmond wouldn’t become a suburb of D.C., but attracting a lot of commuters might just be a price we’d have to pay for having awesome transportation.
3. Matt on July 22, 2009 9:42 AM said:

   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3xGtjhZ_Yg&feature=related
4. SnowPanda on July 22, 2009 12:21 PM said:

   When they said high speed rail…i thought they were talking about this:
   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDSm2Lyc9ts&feature=related

   Ohhhh welll. Can’t we make it go at least like 150Mph?

   It would be nice to have an easy way of getting up to D.C. at an affordable cost.

   Easy…..Cheap.
5. taylor on July 22, 2009 12:49 PM said:

   Magnetic Bullet Trains! Although the price of that would be non-good…okay maybe I take that back.
6. Eric on July 22, 2009 2:20 PM said:

   When we go to DC we normally drive to Springfield pay $4.50 to park and take the metro right to the National Mall. High Speed Rail from Richmond to DC – would we be able to connect to the Metro? Where in DC would we end up from RVA?
7. charbatkin on July 22, 2009 2:39 PM said:

   So it wouldn’t get you there any faster, just more reliably? A 3hr commute is still pretty steep.

   I think The Simpson’s summed it up best, Music Man style.

   What this town needs is a MONORAIL!!!

   Monorail-
   Monorail-
   Monorail…
8. Scott Burger on July 22, 2009 5:01 PM said:

   I would say this is more than a monorail, regardless of how fast it goes…

   http://www.oregonhill.net/2009/04/17/the-dream-of-high-speed-rail/

   “Ever since I started living here I have had the dream- that one day, I could walk out my door with a small backpack, and hike or grab a ride down to Main Street Station in Shockoe Bottom, and catch a high speed train to the airport, to D.C., to Norfolk, to anywhere in the world.”
9. Mac on July 22, 2009 5:44 PM said:

   May 28, 2009

   Mr. Patrick Simmons, Director
   Ms. Shirley R. Williams, Director- Environmental & Planning
   Mr. David Foster, PE, Rail Project Development & Environmental Evaluation
   North Carolina DOT – Rail Division
   1553 Mail Service Center
   Raleigh, NC 27699-1553

   Mr. Charles M. (Chip) Badger, Director
   Mr. Kevin B. Page, Chief of Rail Transportation
   Ms. Christine Fix, AICP
   Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT)
   600 E. Main Street, Suite 2102
   Richmond, VA 23219

   Subject: Southeast High Speed Rail
   Richmond – Hampton Roads Passenger Rail Study

   Dear State Rail Employees of North Carolina and Virginia:

   Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the proposed Southeast High Speed Rail improvements, the Richmond – Hampton Roads Passenger Rail Study and how these two important projects relate to the village of Chester located within Chesterfield County, VA.

   In 2000, Chesterfield County, VA facilitated the forming of the Chester Community Association (CCA). The group was organized through it bylaws as a nonprofit 501 c 3 corporation in June 2001. The Chester Community Association was created to implement the Chester Village Plan, adopted by the Board of Supervisors as amended 2001 by actively representing the entire Chester community and presenting the community goals and objectives before appropriate organizations, groups and officials.

   To achieve our vision and our mission, we have identified three overarching goals:
   A. To shape the future of the Village of Chester
   B. To enhance the quality of life within the Village
   C. To effectively communicate within the Village and our partners

   To that end, the CCA Board of Directors have several adopted transportation goals that may conflict with the proposed SEHSR plan and would like to offer some guidance and resolution to insure that all involved organizations’ goals are met.

   First and foremost, we are strong supporters of high speed rail service in the Commonwealth and in the Southeast Corridor.

   The CCA Board of Directors has adopted the following four vision goals for your Departments’ consideration as the SEHSR and RHRPRS projects move forward in the Chester Plan area:
   •Bicycle and pedestrian access must be improved to facilitate greater movement than is present today. Since the proposed High Speed Rail project will shut public crossings and informal crossings will be prohibited with high speed rail wildlife fencing, Chester needs to plan for its future pedestrian and bicycle connections across this barrier. In the core village area, non-motorized crossings shall be provided every 900 feet.
   •A greenway shall be provided along the entire rail corridor from Richmond to Petersburg.
   •A local commuter rail project between Richmond and Petersburg shall include a Chester station at West Hundred Road and shall be operating in 2025 with service to Main Street Station and Ettrick / Petersburg.
   •A roundabout solution shall be analyzed in lieu of a traffic signal at the new intersection of Centralia Road and Chester Road.

   We would appreciate your thoughtful, written response that specifies your planned accommodation for these goals as your current project goals may conflict with these local transportation issues.

   Together we will insure that this project is of benefit to the citizens along the corridor and the village of Chester, located in Chesterfield, VA. I would extend an invitation to you to attend one of our meetings such that our citizens can hear first hand what your schedule and proposed plans are for the village of Chester and surrounding area.

   Sincerely,

   Dr. Robert R. Owens
   Chester Community Association President

   CC: Delegate Kirk Cox
   Senator Steve Martin
   Supervisor Dorothy Jaeckle
   Planning Commissioner Sam Hassan
   Transportation Secretary Pierce Homer

   ATTACHMENT: Adopted 2009 Transportation Goals

   Adopted 2009 transportation goals for the Chester Plan area:

   •Chester’s transportation system is to be safe, livable, and accommodating to all users by partnering with neighborhoods and other organizations to:
   o Require proposed transportation projects meet the vision of the Chester Plan through the Transportation Department working with the citizens, Planning Department, Community Development, and Parks and Recreation.
   o Require that proposed transportation projects follow the context sensitive design process led by a Landscape Architect and follows the latest guidance on building walkable communities.
   o Require in proposed site plan reviews for Chester that non-motorized transportation facilities are safe and functional, as well as encourages their use.
   o Require a transportation professional be trained such that the best non-motorized facilities can be provided for a multimodal transportation system in Chester.
   o Require that all sources of transportation grant funding for non-motorized transportation are actively being pursued for the development of Chester’s multimodal vision.
   o Require a comprehensive study of non-motorized transportation facilities, levels of service, and policies within Chester.
   o Require the prioritization of proposed non-motorized transportation projects to promote connectivity from residential areas to schools, parks, and the core village area.
   o Require that all opportunities to promote passenger rail service in Chester are supported.
   o Require a roundabout first philosophy where roundabouts will be implemented whenever possible as the first form of traffic control in lieu of traffic signals.
   o Support the pursuit of the League of American Bicyclists Gold Award for Bicycle Friendly Communities for Chester, VA.”
   o Insure access to green space, parks, schools, public facilities, and greenways as provided and planned for the village
   o Insure that all opportunities to promote pedestrian and bicycle use of the Route 10 Corridor through pedestrian countdown signals, crosswalks, speed management, lane widths, bicycle lanes, and other permanent infrastructure improvements are pursued and are in keeping with the vision of the Chester Plan
10. Liberty on July 23, 2009 7:07 AM said:

    @Eric, I’m pretty sure the train would take you to Union Staion in washington D.C. only a few blocks from the capitol. dont think youd have to use the metro
11. tony on July 23, 2009 9:17 AM said:

    I do not think high-speed rail would turn us into a DC suburb. I honestly can’t see Richmond expanding any further, considering the zoning laws in places like Goochland and the fact that there is hardly any space left to build on in Henrico.

    I would certainly use high-speed rail. The prospect is very exciting to me. I recently took a train to Philadelphia and back. The DC stretch took two and a half hours on the way there and nearly four on the way back because of a slow moving CSX train in front of our train.
12. Nicole on July 23, 2009 9:35 AM said:

    I would love for this to happen, however, I don’t think it ever will. I don’t know which is sadder: that I’ve lost faith in the Commonwealth or that we’ll never get a high-speed rail. Probably that last one.
13. Charles V. Ware on July 23, 2009 11:18 AM said:

    The current Kaine proposal calls for trains that would require 90 minutes for the Richmond to Washington, D.C. run. Steam-powered RF&P trains commonly ran over 100 MPH prior to World War II on the same route. The Norfolk & Western “J” series steam locomotives were capable of pulling an eight-car consist at 114 MPH, and crossed the state in the 1940’s and 1950’s. The United States is no longer meeting third-world standards for transportation, education, and public facilities. We need all-electric, true high speed {200 MPH plus} trains on dedicated trackage. It is typical of Governor Kaine, who is a wishy-washy individual, to support a half-measure, and also typical of the Republicans in the General Assembly to support something more appropriate fothe the 19th century.
14. Charles V. Ware on July 23, 2009 11:22 AM said:

    REVISIONS:

    “third-world” should be “first world”

    and last line: “to support something that would seem more appropriately linked to the 19th century.”