February 24, 2011 - 1:21pm
The mayors of Durham, Richmond, Raleigh, and Norfolk -- and the chamber executives serving those communities -- jointly signed a one-page letter to President Obama, urging him to fund the Richmond-Petersburg-Raleigh high speed rail corridor via new or reallocated high speed rail funding.
The mayors and business leaders also included a one-page summary of the business case for the corridor which will "Connect the Capitals" and "Join the Job Crescents" of North Carolina and Virginia. The Raleigh-Richmond linkage is the linchpin of the proposed Southeast High Speed Rail (SEHSR) corridor -- which extends south from Washington, D.C. to Richmond, Hampton Roads, Raleigh, Charlotte, and cities throughout the southeast -- and a vital investment for the future east coast HSR network.
Revenues are expected to exceed operating expenses for the SESHR corridor, providing the basis for operation without any public operating subsidy, and the corridor will create rail travel times that are faster than or competitive with driving for city pairs in Virginia and North Carolina and to Washington, DC. In addition, the Raleigh-Richmond-Washington-New York corridor received a score of 19.02 using the America 2050 methodology, which is among the highest scores in the United States.
Average operating speeds between Petersburg and Raleigh will exceed 90 MPH, with top speeds of 110 MPH. The Raleigh-Richmond linkage will join two megaregions -- Piedmont Atlantic and Northeast -- in a manner that will save more than 90 minutes of travel time (and more than 30 miles) compared to the existing ~ 200 mile long rail routing. Raleigh-Richmond HSR is a game-changing investment from both a time savings and national intercity rail network benefits perspective.
Visit: letsgetmoving.org/hsr for more information.
Next entry: County leaders highlight prospects for enhancing transit at 2011 RTA breakfast
Previous entry: I-85 widening funded
