THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT  
              Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Thursday, April 11, 1996               TAG: 9604110304
SECTION: LOCAL                    PAGE: B1   EDITION: FINAL  
SOURCE: BY MAC DANIEL, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK                            LENGTH: Medium:   70 lines

CORRECTION/CLARIFICATION: ***************************************************************** A MetroNews story Thursday said a proposed light-rail line would be built along an abandoned Norfolk Southern rail line. That line is still used to haul freight and is not abandoned, according to Norfolk Southern officials. Correction published in The Virginian-Pilot, Friday, April 12, 1996, page A2. ***************************************************************** REPORT CITES RAIL LINE'S MANY PLUSES THE LOCAL ECONOMY WOULD GAIN MILLIONS, OFFICIALS ARE TOLD.

A commuter railway between Norfolk and Virginia Beach would boost annual payrolls by $88 million, increase retail sales by $56 million and improve nearby property values by more than $246 million, according to a report presented Wednesday to local transportation officials.

After hearing details of the proposal, the Tidewater Transportation District Commission will spend the next month deciding which of four options they will choose to help ease traffic congestion in the Interstate 264 and Route 44 corridor between Norfolk and Virginia Beach.

Other options include building a Congestion Management System, including more HOV lanes, more park-and-ride lots and a system to meter traffic congestion; creating an enhanced bus system; or not taking any measures.

The decision will be made May 8.

In the meantime, Tidewater Regional Transit officials plan to hold several workshops to get citizen input.

During the presentation before the local transit board, consultants said the rail line's first phase - running from Norfolk to Princess Anne - would cost an estimated $289 million. Total cost to run rail between Norfolk and Virginia Beach's Pavilion would be about $376 million.

According to Dennis Probst, the lead consultant for the study, the line could be the third- or fourth-least-expensive rail project completed in the country in the past 15 years.

Consultants estimate that an average of 13,000 to 15,500 passengers would ride the trains daily once the entire line was in place.

Wednesday's presentation marked the end of a $1 million federally funded study that Tidewater Regional Transit has conducted over the last year.

Future forecasts of traffic congestion along Route 44 and Interstate 264 are bleak. By the year 2015, traffic volume on Route 44 is expected to increase 87 percent. Because land surrounding these highways is completely built-up, the only road-building solution is to construct a double-deck expressway on top of the current route - a $2 billion venture, Probst said.

The rail system is proposed to run from Virginia Beach's Pavilion to downtown Norfolk. The railway would run the length of the abandoned Norfolk Southern railroad corridor, with planned stops at Great Neck Road, Norfolk State University and Norfolk's Federal Building. Bus service would be restructured to complement the rail service. ILLUSTRATION: TO DISCUSS THE STUDY

Workshops to discuss the study are scheduled for:

Monday, April 22, 6 p.m., at the Virginia Beach Central Library,

4100 Virginia Beach Blvd.

Wednesday, April 24, 6 p.m. at Tidewater Regional Transit

headquarters, 1500 Monticello Avenue, Norfolk.

Thursday, April 25, 6 p.m., at the Holiday Inn Executive Center,

5655 Greenwich Road, Virginia Beach.

For more information on the project, call 461-0647.

by CNB