 |
 |
 |
|||
 |
|||||
 |
|||||
 |
 |
||||
 |
|||||
 |
|||||
|
News Release Date: February 16, 2007 North Carolina and Virginia Continue to Work Together To Advance the Southeast High Speed Rail Project RALEIGH - The N.C. Department of Transportation'sRail Division has received a $1.5 million grant from the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation through Virginia'sRail Enhancement Fund to continue work on the Southeast High Speed Rail project. Awarded late last year by the Commonwealth Transportation Board, the grant will help fund completion of the bi-state Tier II Environmental Impact Statement for the Richmond, Va. to Raleigh, N.C. portion of the corridor. "This grant, which allows the project to move forward, speaks to the ongoing cooperative effort between North Carolina and Virginia to develop transportation alternatives," said Patrick B. Simmons, NCDOT Rail Division Director. DRPT's Director of Rail Transportation Kevin Page said, "We look forward to completing the next phase of the environmental review process for this regional passenger rail initiative." The draft Tier II EIS document is expected to be completed in late 2009. A Record of Decision on the Tier I EIS, which identified the preferred overall corridor from Washington, D.C. to Charlotte N.C., was awarded by the Federal Railroad Administration in June 2002. Since the mid-1990s, North Carolina and Virginia have been working together to complete the necessary engineering and environmental documentation required to advance the Southeast High Speed Rail project, which would provide improved passenger and freight rail service between Washington, D.C. to Charlotte, N.C. Southeast High Speed Rail service would provide business and leisure travelers with an alternate transportation option for trips between 100-500 miles. The planned service would have top speeds of 110 miles per hour with average speeds between 85-87 mph. The project calls for the system to be developed incrementally, upgrading existing rail right of way. For more information, visit www.sehsr.org. *** SEHSR *** Contacts: |
|||||