WASHINGTON — Dedicated money from highway tolls could help fund improvements to the DC Metro rail system and Virginia Railway Express commuter rail line, WTOP radio reports.
The station reports that funds from Interstate 66 tolls inside the Capital Beltway could allow the state of Virginia to sell bonds to finance construction of a new Metra station near Rosslyn, Va., and a much-discussed project for a second two-track rail bridge paralleling the existing Long Bridge over the Potomac River. The second bridge would address a major rail bottleneck for freight and passenger trains between Virginia and Washington, potentially supporting a doubling of rail traffic. The existing bridge is used by 34 VRE, 24 Amtrak and 18 CSX freight trains.
Virginia officials and the Northern Virginia Transporation are still negotiation the deal to dedicate a portion of the toll funds to the project. A previous effort to negotiate the deal was paused in 2017, shortly after the tolls began, to allow tolling operations to become settled.
Ruppert: rates for riding the train can’t be raised past the level competitive with free socialized subsidized highways.
The right-or-way from Collier Yard, VA to Raleigh, NC.
Diversion of toll revenue to prop up a large capex event. How much is CSX contributing to the effort?
Why not raise the rates for riding the train. Why wouldn’t the people using the service pay for improvements?