Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, February 7, 1995                   TAG: 9502070055
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

STATE STUDYING HIGH-SPEED RAIL SERVICE

It's a little more than 100 miles from the nation's capital to the state capital, a route chiefly covered by drivers on Interstate 95 or passengers on Amtrak trains.

``We're trying to reduce the travel time from two hours to 90 minutes,'' said Alan Tobias of the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation.

The study, written by a private consulting firm, also seeks ways to increase the number of passenger trains on the route, said Tobias, a senior transportation engineer.

Transportation officials soon will brief members of the General Assembly, who commissioned the study two years ago, on the findings. After the study is released, public hearings will be scheduled, Tobias said.

The study comes at a time of uncertainty over the future of rail travel.

Congress is expected to rewrite the nation's transportation funding legislation next year. It's unclear how much emphasis or money the majority Republicans will give to rail and mass transportation.

Amtrak, the nation's passenger rail carrier, is cutting back service to offset a large budget deficit. Among the cuts were a daily Boston-to-Florida train that made stops in Virginia.

Tobias said Amtrak probably will be involved in some way with any new service between the two capitals. He said the service may use Amtrak equipment and personnel.

Expanding rail service also could involve the Virginia Railway Express, Northern Virginia's 2-year-old commuter rail service.

A third set of tracks probably would be required before track owner CSX Transportation allows more passenger trains on the line, VRE operations director Steve Roberts said.

``The genesis of the study was the combination of high-speed trains and VRE influences on the capacity of the [rail] corridor,'' he said.

Roberts said state officials realize widening Interstate 95 again is not a realistic, long-term solution to the growing passenger and freight needs of Eastern Virginia, which continues to expand. New state transportation plans call for more rail service.