Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, April 24, 1993 TAG: 9304240046
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Bowers has taken the lead in lobbying for the return of passenger train service to the region.
He begins his campaign for Amtrak on Tuesday when he meets in Wytheville with the mayors of several cities and towns in Southwest Virginia along a proposed route for the train.
He believes Amtrak would help attract more tourists and help boost economic development. "I think this could be a real stimulus for the area."
Bowers hopes to organize a two-state lobbying campaign in Virginia and Tennessee to get Amtrak service between Roanoke and Chattanooga, two railroad cities with a common heritage.
The Roanoke-Chattanooga connection would be part of a possible new Amtrak route between New York and Atlanta.
Bowers also has invited the mayors of 17 cities and towns in the two states to meet in Bristol in early summer to develop a lobbying campaign.
"[Tuesday's meeting] will be a kind of a get-together to get to know each other better and see if we can work together," Bowers said.
"Getting Amtrak is a long-range goal. It's not something that is going to happen anytime soon."
But it never will happen unless the communities work together and lobby for it, he said.
Bowers has met with Graham Claytor, Amtrak's chairman, to discuss the proposal. Claytor, a Roanoke native, is a former president of the Southern Railway.
Bowers said the expansion of Amtrak will depend on the level of federal funding for the subsidized service and the Clinton administration's transportation policy.
"Amtrak officials say they have a lot of equipment that is old and outdated. They say they need to update their equipment before they expand their service," he said.
An Amtrak spokesman held out little hope Friday that it will have the money anytime soon for a route through Roanoke.
Indeed, funding for Amtrak suffered a setback this week when Senate Republicans killed President Clinton's jobs bill and economic-stimulus package.
The package included $331 million for operational costs and $165 million for updated equipment for Amtrak.
"That hurt us. Like several other agencies, now we will have to try another way to get the funds we need," said Howard Robertson, a public affairs officer for Amtrak.
"If we had the money, we would provide the service [through Roanoke and Southwest Virginia]," said Robertson, who formerly lived in Blacksburg.
"If I could do it, I would. This is an area we would like to serve."
Amtrak has made studies to determine the cost for a new route through Virginia, Tennessee and Georgia. It is one of 13 areas in the country that have been considered for service.
The passenger cars and other equipment for a route through Roanoke would cost $60 million. A federal subsidy of up to $12 million would be needed to keep the train going.
Bowers said he will also seek a meeting with Sen. Charles Robb, D-Va., and his staff to discuss the train proposal.
If the Clinton administration decides to expand Amtrak, Vice President Al Gore could be a key official in the lobbying campaign. Gore, a former U.S. senator from Tennessee, has political connections with officials in Chattanooga and other cities in the state.
Chattanooga Mayor Gene Roberts has said his city will work with Roanoke and other communities. Chattanooga has tried unsuccessfully to get Amtrak service from the Upper Midwest by way of Nashville, Roberts said.
Bowers thinks Roanoke's railroad heritage could become a major tourist draw with the right marketing and Amtrak service. Last year's Railroad Exposition drew 15,000 to the city.
The new train would follow existing rail lines, including Norfolk Southern's tracks through Virginia.
It would pass through Charlottesville, Lynchburg, Bedford, Roanoke, Blacksburg, Christiansburg, Radford, Pulaski, Wytheville, Marion, Abingdon and Bristol. It would go on to Knoxville and Chattanooga en route to Atlanta.
Bowers' push for Amtrak service is part of his emphasis on tourism as an economic-development strategy. He wants Roanoke to become the tourism capital of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
by CNB