VRE extension plans cause concern

Judging by the turnout at Wednesday's Virginia Railway Express public meeting at Stonewall Jackson High School, people are interested in plans to extend commuter rail service to Gainesville and Haymarket.

But some in the crowd of 40 attendees were cautiously optimistic. VRE's goal of having a station in Haymarket has some town leaders a bit worried about the impact it will have on its residents and government.

Both vice mayor John C. Cole and councilman Bob Weir expressed concern on how the project would be funded and how much of that funding would end up falling on a jurisdiction of only 1,000 people and limited resources.

Cole also wondered about the potential impact a new station would have on the roadway system if it was on U.S. 15, near Interstate 66 in an already traffic-choked area. When a freight train comes through town now, cars heading west onto U.S. 15 off I-66 are backed up through a light that stands between the exit and the railroad tracks.

"We want to make sure that ... all the infrastructure is there, the funding lines are there and that it kind of runs itself," said Cole, who invited VRE to the town council's September meeting.

Wednesday's meeting served as an official introduction to the community more than anything else as attendees like Cole were able to ask questions and join small groups to bat around ideas.

This spring, VRE started a feasibility study for the extension, something it hopes to complete by next March. If VRE goes through the federal funding process, the earliest that trains would be on the tracks to Gainesville and Haymarket would be 6 1/2 years -- and that's optimistic, said David Wilcock, Vanasse Hangen and Brustlin Inc. project manager.

In order for the project to receive federal funds, VRE still needs to complete an alternative analysis study. This, along with the feasibility study, helps define the need for an extension and identify investment requirements. The feds would probably pay for 50 percent of the project with the rest of the money coming from state and local sources, Wilcock said.

VRE also needs to perform an environmental impact study and plans to hold at least one more public meeting. Eventually VRE must negotiate with Norfolk Southern Railway, since Norfolk Southern owns the 11 miles of track in question and a large portion of the right-of-way around it.

Building a second set of tracks would likely be necessary for an extension. But the fact that Norfolk Southern owns so much right-of-way already will not necessitate VRE purchasing large portions of land around the new tracks, said VRE spokesperson Mark Roeber.

Persimmon Tree Companies owner Frank Piatkowski attended the meeting and said he would consider selling his land if VRE moved forward. Piatkowski owns land at the Gainesville Commerce Center at the corner of U.S. 29 and I-66, which could wind up near a potential station site.

Avid VRE rider and Woodbridge resident Jeff Johnson will soon be moving to Shenandoah County, 60 miles west of Haymarket. Although he might be retired by the time the rail gets there, Johnson said recent and future growth of the county's west end necessitates an extension.

VRE's Manassas line currently runs 36 miles, from Washington's Union Station westward to Broad Run.

"The county is going to grow, and you need extensions," Johnson said. "Otherwise it's going end up like Metro did years ago when it didn't go out to Dulles [airport]. It stops right there in Vienna and they are still having a hell of a time pushing it west. With something like this they need to keep the momentum going and deal with the issues as they come up."

Staff writer Kipp Hanley can be reached at 703-369-5738.