The Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT), in cooperation with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), has started preliminary engineering and environmental review for enhanced intercity passenger rail service between Washington, D.C. and Richmond, VA. The 123-mile corridor is a segment of the Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor (SEHSR), which runs from Washington, DC thro
ugh Richmond, VA and Raleigh, NC to Charlotte, NC It is part of a nationwide initiative by the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) to improve service and connections to higher speed rail service in the northeast (Boston, MA to Washington, D.C.) to points in the southeast (Miami, FL to Charlotte, NC) and beyond. The project, expected to be complete within three years, is the second step in a two-tiered process of federal review. The Tier II Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) being prepared will further evaluate the preferred alternative from the Tier I EIS completed in 2002 (Alternative “A” – the CSX Transportation line), as well as other passenger rail improvements required to support increased passenger service and faster, more reliable connections. While the Tier I study established the general corridor for improved service, the exact corridor route and stations will be decided as a part of this Tier II EIS process.
