A new rail authority in Virginia could revolutionize connections for riders throughout the state

From new vehicle safety measures to the possibility of zero-fare transit pilots, the litany of policy changes inside Governor Ralph Northam’s recently passed transportation omnibus reads like a wishlist for urbanists. However, the one reform that could permanently transform transportation in the Commonwealth is the creation of a long-awaited Virginia Passenger Rail Authority (VPRA).

After decades of railroad corporations’ stranglehold on Virginia’s rail expansion plans, the Commonwealth will now join the elite handful of states featuring a legal entity with a mandate to own, manage, and expand rail infrastructure for the public good and the benefit of businesses across the region.

On the rails to passage

Although rail enthusiasts and technocrats across the Commonwealth applauded the passage of the bills from House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn and Senate Majority Leader Dick Saslaw establishing the VPRA, perhaps no Virginian was more enthused by the measure than Danny Plaugher—Executive Director of the nonprofit Virginians for High Speed Rail. “This is a game changer for the state’s transportation network,” he said. “Our organization has been pushing for a rail authority for the past twenty years.”

Plaugher isn’t exaggerating. Nearly two decades ago a years-long campaign for a passenger rail authority culminated in legislation that passed the Senate and House transportation committees unanimously only to die unceremoniously in the House appropriations committee without explanation. This year—with the support of the governor—the measure breezed through the legislature as one of the least controversial portions of an omnibus that also proposed abolishing annual car inspections and raising the wholesale fuel tax.

For Roanoke Senator John Edwards—the chief patron of that failed 2004 bill, a new rail authority has been a longtime coming. “This is a huge advance for the Commonwealth,” he said. “I wish we had done it a long time ago, but now is the time for us to push for progress. Rail is the future of transportation in Virginia after all.”

Expansion derailed

The idea that the state should own and manage railroad tracks for the common good has been around since the early 1800s. Up until former Governor Doug Wilder sold off the majority of the DC to Richmond rail corridor in the early 1990s, that stretch used to be the most profitable short rail line in America. Since then, Virginia has been held hostage by the coterie of railway corporations that own tracks in the Commonwealth.

Imagine you want to rent a house, but before your landlord will give you a lease he requires you to replace the roof. The new roof is good for thirty years, but your lease only lasts for ten upon which you have to negotiate with your landlord all over again. Each time your landlord demands you pay for costly repairs and upgrades to the home which you don’t even own. Such has been Virginia’s experience trying to expand its passenger rail over the last three decades.

Every time the state would go to add a new Virginia Rail Express or Amtrak train to the schedule, the rail owners would demand millions of dollars worth of track improvements in addition to the usage fees Virginia was already paying. With the creation of the VPRA all that will change.

How will it work?

The VPRA will serve as the legal entity by which the Commonwealth will own and manage rail infrastructure throughout Virginia. By establishing this entity as an independent authority, lawmakers have also placed the VPRA a bit further outside the political process so that it can better craft long-term plans free of the whims of varying administrations. It also means a future governor can’t come in and sell off the state’s newly purchased tracks.

According to Plaugher, “In a state in which a new governor comes into office every four years, it’s especially important to entrust our rail planning to a body that can take that long-term vision. Let’s not forget it took a decade to produce the DC to RVA Southeast High Speed Rail plans.”

How the VPRA will actually operate will look very similar to Virginia’s port and airport authorities which are also set up as independent entities under the Commonwealth Transportation Board.

DRPT will continue to dole out state rail dollars while the new VPRA will manage the infrastructure and lease out rail service to Amtrak and other providers. The fifteen head authority will be comprised of three non-voting members—representatives from Amtrak and VRE as well as the head of the Department of Rail & Public Transportation (DRPT)—plus twelve voting members derived from planning districts across the Commonwealth.

With three members each from the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission and the Potomac & Rappahannock Transportation Commission, the VPRA’s governing board skews heavily towards Northern Virginia. Representatives from Metro Richmond, Hampton Roads, and the Southwest comprise the other half of the board. Given the success of the VRE commuter rail into DC, such an allocation of seats makes sense; however, leaders from other regions of the state hope their priorities also see some forward movement.

“People love to take the Amtrak out of Roanoke because it goes all the way to Boston,” said Senator Edwards. “I’d like to see the new passenger rail authority use its powers of eminent domain to buy the abandoned tracks connecting Roanoke and Christiansburg. In 2013 we decided we wanted to make the New River Valley Rail a reality this year. If we can get a train that starts at Christiansburg then we could get a second morning train out of Roanoke each day.”

What could VPRA mean for the future of Virginia

As the Commonwealth’s northern neighbor logs record levels of train breakdowns, Maryland’s lawmakers and residents alike must be looking on at Virginia’s success with envy. The combination of a new passenger rail authority and Governor Northam’s $3.7 billion dollar deal with CSX last December is earning the Old Dominion a reputation as a national leader on rail.

“Virginia has proven that investing in passenger rail reduces congestion and connects people to opportunity,” said Beth Osborne—President of Transportation for America. “By creating a statewide rail authority, Virginia can leverage its investment in rail to further reconnect communities, provide transportation options to people currently trapped in congestion, and therefore allow for future economic growth not limited by highway congestion.”

The establishment of the VPRA should go a long way to professionalizing the construction, management, and leasing out of Virginia’s growing stock of rail assets. Whoever the governing board chooses to be the director of the authority, that person will enjoy an exciting list of projects to keep them busy over the coming years from the doubling of the Long Bridge’s capacity to the planning and construction of a “Commonwealth Corridor” from Hampton Roads all the way to Southwest Virginia.

Hailing from a community along the infamously dangerous Interstate 81 corridor, Senator Edwards is especially ready for rail: “Our interstate highway system is running out of space to grow so we need to build out our rails. The biggest hurdle is our infrastructure. We have to put more resources into shifting capacity, both passengers and freight, toward trains.”

Edwards believes that capable administration of the VPRA could help Virginia boost its mobility to better compete on the world stage. “Europe, Japan, and a lot of other countries have far more advanced rail systems than what we have,” he said. “Trains in China often go 200 plus miles per hour. Right now we’re way behind the rest of the world, but it doesn’t have to stay that way.”

Although it may be some time before Virginia returns to the booming economy and rapidly growing rail ridership it enjoyed before the outbreak of the coronavirus, the establishment of a new passenger rail authority in the state will certainly hasten the return to business Virginia residents are hoping for.

“Having an authority focused on improving the quality of rail service in Virginia will be pivotal to the state’s future economic growth,” said Joe McAndrew, the Director of Transportation Policy at the Greater Washington Partnership in an interview. “The creation of this body puts Virginia in a position to maximize its rail investments, better bind its regions together through faster and more reliable train service, and provide greater mobility to employers and residents across the state.”

A delayed roll out?

For now rail enthusiasts across the Commonwealth will have to wait. Technically the VPRA will come into existence on July 1st; however, it will likely take several months or longer to set up given the current coronavirus crisis buffeting public health as well as public transportation across the country.

Once the authority is up and running, its top orders of business will likely prove the finalization of contracts for new infrastructure purchases, the Long Bridge, and how to rebuild Virginia’s record-busting rail ridership which has tanked 90% due to the coronavirus pandemic.