DATE: Thursday, November 27, 1997           TAG: 9711270661

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B5   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY DEBBIE MESSINA, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   78 lines

LIGHT AT THE END OF NEW TUNNEL MIGHT NOT BE HIGH-SPEED RAIL

High-speed rail could be pulling into the Peninsula, but the trains may not be able to cross the water into South Hampton Roads.

Intercity passenger rail, or high-speed rail, is high among the alternatives recommended by consultants for improving mobility between Hampton Roads and Richmond. The proposal calls for a high-speed rail line along the CSX right-of-way that ends in Newport News.

And while the proposed new bridge-tunnel from Newport News to Norfolk includes a multimodal tube for rail, it may be able to accommodate only light rail or rapid rail like Washington's Metro.

``A very significant portion of the market for intercity rail is on the Southside,'' said Alan Tobias, project manager for passenger rail with the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation.

``There needs to be a good connection to South Hampton Roads, either with service through the tunnel or with connections to light rail,'' he said.

The consultants designing the $2.4 billion third crossing said the new tunnel could not accommodate high-speed rail because its grade will be too steep for the heavy trains.

Light rail, like the proposed system linking Virginia Beach and Norfolk and eventually the Norfolk Naval Base, could use the tunnel. Even rapid rail could negotiate the tunnel.

But high-speed rail requires flatter grades, said Willard ``Bill'' McCartney, deputy project manager for Michael Baker Jr. Inc.

``To get the right grade, we'd have to start the tunnel in Williamsburg,'' McCartney quipped.

Tobias, however, disagrees. He said the proposed tunnel could handle high-speed rail cars if they traveled more slowly.

``I see no reason why these intercity trains could not go through there,'' Tobias said.

He added that a bigger issue is whether the tunnel could be ventilated properly for the diesel-fueled engines of high-speed rail. Light rail is electric.

If high-speed trains cannot pass through the tunnel, planners say an integrated light rail system between South Hampton Roads and the Peninsula is crucial for moving passengers from a rail station in Newport News to their destinations on the Southside.

In addition to preliminary design and engineering on light rail in South Hampton Roads, a study is being conducted to evaluate light-rail use between Williamsburg and Newport News.

Improving transportation in and out of Hampton Roads is an issue not only of convenience but also of economics.

``High-speed rail, in some circumstances, can significantly change the economic fabric of the area it serves,'' said Brad Face, president of Future of Hampton Roads and chairman of the Hampton Roads High Speed Rail Coalition. ``It can change the way people look at us in terms of accessibility.''

High-speed rail is included in four out of six alternatives presented to the Metropolitan Planning Organization of the Planning District Commission last week as solutions to handling the growing travel demand between Hampton Roads and Richmond.

Traffic along the 75-mile corridor is expected to increase, on average, by 60 percent by 2015. In some high-growth areas, traffic is projected to more than double.

The board will be asked to select a preferred alternative in spring 1998.

In addition to high-speed rail, the options include various combinations of improving Interstate 64 by adding traditional highway lanes, high-occupancy vehicle or carpool lanes, express bus service, and smart road or Intelligent Transportation Systems technologies.

Varying levels of rail service are proposed, ranging in speed from 90 mph to 125 mph. At 90 mph, the trip between Hampton Roads and Richmond would take an hour and 15 minutes; at 110 mph, an hour; and at 125 mph, 55 minutes.

Under each scenario, three rail stations would be added near Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport, Providence Forge and Richmond International Airport.

Amtrak runs two passenger trains per day along that line, with a trip time of an hour and 40 minutes to Richmond from Newport News. That service has one stop in Williamsburg.

Cost estimates are not yet available for the proposed rail service. And there has been no discussion about who would operate such a system. ILLUSTRATION: Map

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