THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, September 10, 1996 TAG: 9609100249
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MAC DANIEL, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 63 lines
Norfolk Southern Corp. and Tidewater Regional Transit have struck a preliminary agreement toward the purchase of the right-of-way for the region's proposed light-rail line.
TRT's board of commissioners will be asked Wednesday to approve a letter of understanding between TRT and Norfolk Southern outlining solutions to four issues governing the purchase of the railroad right-of-way between Norfolk and Virginia Beach. Those four issues are: price, liability, service to freight customers, and protection of Norfolk Southern's through-freight routes.
If the letter is approved on Wednesday, TRT's board and Norfolk Southern officials would then develop a formal agreement, according to a letter from TRT Executive Director James C. Echols.
News of the agreement comes three months after Norfolk Southern officials expressed concern about not being made part of the discussions over the proposed rail line.
``I think that we have the problem solved,'' said Norfolk Southern Vice President Jim McClellan.
Echols said talks about the rail line with Norfolk Southern have been going on for years and have always been smooth. ``They were extremely cooperative,'' he said.
Norfolk Southern owns 15 1/2 miles of the 18-mile corridor that transportation officials want to use for the commuter rail line.
The preliminary agreement, if approved, would overcome a major hurdle in this region's latest effort to build a light-rail line between Norfolk and Virginia Beach.
Approval of the plan by the Virginia Beach City Council is pending after the council delayed a vote on the matter. The Beach council said in June it would only consider the plan if it included spurs to Norfolk Naval Base and Norfolk International Airport. According to TRT officials, that could hold up full approval of the light-rail proposal by 60 to 90 days.
The project's estimated cost was $376 million when it was planned as a straight shot between downtown Norfolk and Virginia Beach's Pavilion. Expanding the project would add to that cost.
The TRT board of commissioners and the Norfolk City Council have approved the plan.
According to the letter, the asking price for the rail line's corridor has yet to be determined, but the land will be appraised by a real estate agent, selected by both parties, at a cost of $100,000. The appraisal could begin early next year.
The TRT will own the line, according to the letter, and all liability will be the responsibility of the commission. The TRT commission will be responsible for the ownership, operation and maintenance of the rail line, including freight operations.
The letter also outlines preliminary agreements to protect Norfolk Southern's through-freight routes.
The current proposal is to run the light-rail line along an infrequently used freight corridor owned by Norfolk Southern. It would parallel Interstate 264 and Route 44, a corridor that is expected to be one of the region's most congested in the next 10 to 20 years. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
Portland, Ore., Light Rail
KEYWORDS: LIGHT RAIL SYSTEM TRT NORFOLK SOUTHERN by CNB