As you probably have gathered, most of us here at Raising Kaine haven't exactly been wildly enamored of the transportation bill. Still, it's not all bad. For instance, this is very good news:
The measure...earmarks $30 million a year out of the Northern Virginia regional revenue for the Virginia Railway Express. The money will cover purchase of new locomotives and passenger cars and expand the service into Prince William County and Fairfax's Fort Belvoir, which expects an influx of employees because of the federal Base Realignment and Closure process.[...]
"We want to expand VRE," Kaine said, citing possible service in the future to Gainesville, Fredericksburg and Front Royal.
"We could eventually see VRE running down to Richmond. That would help tremendously in the I-95 corridor."
Rail to Ft. Belvoir and to Richmond? I like that idea very much. Hey, should we start calling our governor Tim "For Rail" Kaine? Ha.
The Fredricksburg line for VRE has a 25% failure rate during the summer due to CSX and heat issues. This is not a workable option for commuters.
There needs to be better prioritization during rush hour and for the long-term another track propably needs to be built
What really ought to happen is an extension of the Metro from Huntington, down US 1 (through some of the poorest and most mass transit needing sections of Fairfax County), through and around Ft. Belvoir.
Alternatively, it would be pretty cheap to run a Metro line down the existing CSX right of way past Franconia-Springfield to the Engineering Proving Grounds where most of the jobs are slated to go.