CHESAPEAKE, Va. - If you're leaving Hampton Roads for Richmond, Washington D.C. or other metropolitan areas further north, do you consider taking the train?
According to the draft of a new report released this month, the answer is likely an overwhelming "no."
The report, authored by engineers with the Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization (HRTPO), revealed only around one percent of travel in and out of the region is by rail. It also looked at challenges facing local rail and ways to improve service.
Thursday morning, the HRTPO Board is expected to vote on whether to make the report public.
According to the report, there are currently only five daily trains serving Hampton Roads and they suffer from numerous delays on the Peninsula, Southside and when moving through Richmond, making rail slower than car trips to most destinations.
HRTPO engineers tell News 3 they studied GPS data from Amtrak to find typical slowdowns near stations in Norfolk, Newport News and Williamsburg, but the worst happen between the Main St. and Staples Mill stations in Richmond. The report blames the stoppages mainly on track layout and conflict with other trains when running southbound due to delays in arriving from markets in Boston and New York City.
Building an additional track in Richmond is listed as a possible fix in the report, though engineers say it's not likely because it would require the track to cut through the Shockoe Hill African Burying Ground.
The report than switches focus from reducing delays to upping the frequency of trains moving in and out of Hampton Roads with an idea called the "RVA757 Connector."
Unlike current trains that depart the Newport News station for Richmond and then move on to larger metros further north, the Connector would be a service that moves between Newport News and Richmond's Main Street station four times daily.
Dr. Rob Case, Chief Transportation Engineer for HRTPO, tells News 3 the additional service would not only be an option for people traveling to Richmond for quick trips, but also give more options to those looking to transfer to routes heading south.
“[The Main Street Station] has something like 18 trains a day going through it, north and south. Part of the discussion is those transfers," said Case. "If you only have a few options, you might be sitting there for five hours waiting for your train to take you down to Charleston, Raleigh or even Florida.”
Case says improving rail service would be to the region's advantage.
"Locally, we've invested millions of dollars in these stations," he told News 3. "The Norfolk station is only ten years old. The Newport News station is being rebuilt and relocated and Williamsburg has a nice little station and so take advantage of this and give people options."
Should the HRTPO Board vote to make the report public, staff would then work to meet with state rail officials, and those in Hampton Roads and Richmond, to effort improvements and, eventually, inspire local travelers to consider taking the train.
