SEHSR Corridor

[Phoebe Vet]

New rail alignments developed in Brunswick County for the Southeast High Speed Rail, Richmond, Va. to Raleigh, NC Tier II Environmental Impact Statement

RICHMOND, Va. — In the summer of 2010, the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) and the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) held a series of Public Hearings on a Draft Tier II Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Richmond, Va. to Raleigh, NC portion of the SEHSR corridor. The SEHSR project proposes to implement approximately 162 miles of high speed rail as part of an overall plan to extend high speed passenger rail service from the Northeast Corridor (Boston to Washington, D.C.) southward through Virginia to Charlotte, NC.

Over 1,800 individuals, local governments and agencies provided comments on the DEIS. In response to comments, new rail alignments have been developed in two of the project’s sections in Virginia. The two areas affected are in Brunswick County, north of Alberta between the Nottoway River and Flat Rock Road (project Section D), and south of Alberta, between Millville Road and the Meherrin River (project Section G).

The new rail alignments will be presented to the public at a Project Update Meeting on Thursday, July 14, 2011, at the Southside VA Community College, Christanna Campus, 109 Campus Drive, Alberta, VA 23821. The meeting is an open-house style meeting, and the public is invited to stop by anytime between 5:00 p.m. -8:00 p.m.

Maps with the new designs are on the project website www.sehsr.org. Comments may be submitted at the Project Update Meeting, on the web site, or by mail to SEHSR Comments, NCDOT Rail Division 1553 MSC, Raleigh, NC 27699-1553. Comments must be submitted by August 15, 2011. Public comments on the new alignments will be used in the evaluation of alternatives for the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS). All Section D and G alternatives are still under consideration – no decisions have been made on recommended alternatives at this time.

A Project Update Meeting will be held in Raleigh, NC in late summer, to present a newly developed rail alignment in downtown Raleigh. A series of smaller update meetings will be scheduled in Virginia and North Carolina later in the fall to obtain comments on newly developed roadwork in areas where the rail alternatives are on common alignment.

A Recommendation Report is expected to be published this fall. The report will identify the DRPT’s and NCDOT’s recommended preferred rail alternatives in each of the 26 project sections. Based on federal concurrence, the preferred alternatives will be presented in the Tier II Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS). The FEIS is projected to be published late 2012, followed by a Record of Decision from the Federal Railroad Administration in 2013.

***DRPT***

[schlimm]

Now if they can find some money!!

[Phoebe Vet]

There is already a big pot of federal money committed if the Republicans don't find a way to take it back.  NC got a big piece of the money that FL turned down.

The state's new Republican majority tried to make the governor give it back, but she vetoed it and they don't have the votes to over ride.

[blue streak 1]

NC DOT receives a grant to buy the "S" line from Raleigh to Ridgeway NC.  That almost ties up the whole line from Raleigh - Petersburgh .  However the purchase of ROW from Ridgeway - State line appears a bit Murky.  The Virginia purchase agreement with CSX had the provision giving NC the option to purchase from the state line to Ridgeway.

It may be a moot question if the grant can be expanded to the state line or NC DOT makes a separate purchase.? 

https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/article245841010.html 

Once the purchase agreement is made it will be interesting if CSX will retain freight rights and for how long.  Other options could be interesting.

  

[Overmod]

It's always amusing to see 110mph peak mentioned as "HSR".

At least there have been advances in TLMs and other aspects facilitating line straightening and grade reduction that might facilitate actual buildout when the time comes to actually run something...