Virginia Association of Railway Patrons

Modern Transportation for the Virginias

VARP Becomes Charter Partner of North American Steel Interstate Coalition

From VARP’s On Track newsletter, winter 2011

For over half a decade, On Track readers have been following the efforts of fellow rail advocacy group Rail Solution to promote a rail-based alternative to the proposed super-sizing of Interstate 81 in Virginia. Much of the pressure to widen I-81 has been driven by the increase in through-state trucks and the attendant safety and congestion issues.

Rail Solution learned that intermodal freight trains must travel at passenger train speeds over intermediate distances in order to attract and divert enough trucks to avoid new road widening. Rail Solution blended the findings of a 2004 study for Virginia by consulting firm Reebie Associates and the Interstate II proposal by former FRA Administrator Gil Carmichael to describe the “Steel Interstate” rail alternative in the Interstate 81 corridor.

In early 2009 Rail Solution began promoting the I-81 Corridor Steel Interstate initiative as a pilot segment of a North American Steel Interstate System, based on research published by the Millennium Institute demonstrating that substantial oil consumption reductions could be achieved by diverting most non-local trucking to a core network of upgraded, electrified railroads.

A 2010 goal of Rail Solution was to spearhead the creation of the North American Steel Interstate Coalition to promote the overall concept and coordinate the efforts of state groups’ rail initiatives. A temporary website was established in the summer of 2010 as a recruiting tool for coalition partners, and a permanent website went online last fall.

VARP became a North American Steel Interstate Coalition partner following action taken at the December 4, 2010, board meeting. VARP joins other charter coalition partners from Texas, New Mexico, Ohio, and Washington State. Each partner and affiliate will have its own sub-page within the coalition website to describe its regional rail initiative(s).

There are tentatively six rail corridors in Virginia and West Virginia that VARP will promote as parts of the North American Steel Interstate System:

1. I-95 corridor, paralleled closely by CSX
2. I-85 corridor (abandoned by CSX), being developed for 110 mph track speed as part of the Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor
3. I-81 corridor, closely paralleled by Norfolk Southern
4. US-29 corridor closely paralleled by Norfolk Southern
5. I-64 corridor (Virginia and West Virginia), paralleled by CSX
6. US-460 corridor between Norfolk and Radford, paralleled by Norfolk Southern

All of these corridors would be upgraded to uniform standards permitting passenger trains and premium intermodal freight trains to average 69 mph on grade-separated through tracks. VARP will be describing on its coalition website sub-pages how passenger and intermodal rail services can be developed in Virginia and West Virginia to take advantage of these Steel Interstate corridors.

Rail advocacy should become easier by demonstrating that passenger and premium-freight rail services can compatibly share upgraded tracks engineered for 79 mph to 110 mph track speeds. Public investment in higher-speed rail lines needn’t be characterized as only benefiting “money-losing” passenger trains.