Virginians For High Speed Rail and the Southeast High Speed Rail Association will hold a public hearing to discuss the advancement of the Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor on Tuesday, July 20 at 7PM. There will be a public viewing beginning at 5PM; the hearing will begin at 7PM.

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Peter Galuszka’s Missing the Train takes a look at why improving passenger service at Main Street Station may not be likely:

To allow passenger trains to use Main Street Station from the south, substantial capital expenses would have to be made. [...] Her department has prepared a study estimating that all of the upgrades will cost $591.6 million. Gates says that using Main Street can be achieved for far less, only $122 million, but doesn’t provide details.

Regardless, funding is unavailable. When the Obama administration provided $8 billion for higher-speed rail service nationally, Virginia applied for more than $1 billion but received just $75 million to fix tracks in Stafford and Prince William counties. More federal money should be available for rail in the future, which is an Obama transportation priority.

Harry Kollatz puts some words to the proposal that a new Amtrak train might bypass Main Street Station:

A proposed Amtrak train out of Norfolk may not stop at Main Street Station but instead roll on to Staples Mill. [...] Broad Street, however, like Main, was abandoned in the mid-1970s in favor of … Staples Mill. It was Amtrak’s misguided notion that if you put rail in commuter land, they’ll drive to the station. Instead, they just keep driving — mostly.

Staples Mill is situated in an unflattering strip-mall locale that says nothing about our region’s history and beauty but everything about our political/transit predicament. [...]

President Obama announced today that USDOT is awarding $8 billion to states to invest in high speed rail. Of that, Virginia will share $620,000,000 with North Carolina to develop high speed rail between Charlotte-Raleigh-Richmond-Washington, D.C.. In the current plan Richmond is listed as having “projects laying foundation for high-speed passenger rail.”

View the plan here.

As GRTC continues to push for a bus transfer station at Main Street Station, the RTD reports that Mayor Jones is cautious that it might interfere with high speed rail. 

“I believe that GRTC probably has a Plan B. I don’t want to speak for them, however,” Jones said in an interview when asked about the proposed transfer center. “But from my perspective, only so many things can go in Shockoe Bottom.” [via]

Many community organizations have come out against the most recent proposal for a transfer station at Main Street Station, including the Shockoe Bottom Neighborhood Association, The Historic Shockoe Partnership, and The Slave Trail Commission. Today’s article highlights a new group formed specifically to fight the transfer station, the Better Station Coalition.

Style Weekly has the lead on the latest vision for Shockoe: a visitors’ center in Main Street Station. Willard Strickland, a retired teacher, is pitching the idea to make one of Richmond’s most recognizable landmarks a greeting point for visitors. No word on whether a formal proposal is in the works, but the idea is already gaining support from city booster, Jim Ukrop. [via]

The Infrastructurist has a great article on beautiful train stations that were demolished across the country.

Almost like a rite of passage, cities across the country embraced the era of Interstates, Big Macs, and suburban sprawl by tearing down their train depots… One lesson of this legacy is that what replaces a well designed and centrally located rail depot can is rarely of equal worth to the city.

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Possibly, if Governor Kaine made any progress at the White House yesterday. A press release from yesterday states that Vice President Biden and Transportation Secretary LaHood have reached out to governors, including Kaine, to strategize bold ways to move forward with high speed rail.

Based on news reports, the proposed VA high speed rail will definitely go through Main Street Station. It has also been announced that the Federal Railway Administration is no longer considering putting high speed rail on an Eastern route. The Eastern route would bypass the Ashland and Staples Mill Rd location.

In the meantime, an additional train will run between Richmond and DC during commuter hours beginning in December.  [via]

The Richmond City Council Reporter & Telegraph has a video of John Lewis’ presentation on the proposed bus transfer center at Main Street Station to the City Council’s Land Use, Housing, and Transportation Committee.

David Napier, President of the Shockoe Bottom Neighborhood Association, elaborates on SBNA’s opposition to the proposed GRTC transfer station in an op/ed for Richmond BizSense.

The Shockoe Bottom Neighborhood Association recommended several very important and practical changes to GRTC’s plan regarding Main St. Station as a bus transfer station… There are other opportunities for a bus transfer center in Shockoe Bottom. There opportunities to improve on GRTC’s Main St. Station plan.

Along with other local business leaders and neighborhood organizations, the Slave Trail Commission has passed a vote to oppose the proposed GRTC transfer station in Main Street Station. From the RTD:

A majority of commission members agreed last week to oppose the $70 million project on the grounds that the related traffic would undermine efforts to commemorate the area’s role in the slave trade, said chairwoman Delores L. McQuinn, a state delegate from Richmond.

Last week the Historic Shockoe Partnership (Shockoe Slip neighborhood association) voted unanimously against the idea of Main Street Station being used as a GRTC transfer station. They are opposed to almost all aspects of the proposal (PDF). This evening, the Shockoe Bottom Neighborhood Association board will be meeting to draft a formal letter of opposition to the current plan as GRTC presented it to City Council’s Land Use Committee last week.

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With a lot of discussion of the future of Shockoe Bottom, Style Weekly looks into the possibility of it becoming Richmond’s transportation hub. 

John Lewis, chief executive of the regional bus company, the GRTC Transit System, has long had his eye on a vacant train shed behind Main Street Station. He wants to rehabilitate the second, track-level floor to become a sheltered transfer center offering a one-stop hub for trains, buses and future rail or express buses – Richmond’s own little Union Station.

Come in from the cold during the downtown Grand Illumination activities to enjoy cookies and hot cocoa, kiddie train rides, crafts, and holiday music at the 6th Annual Main Street Station Holiday Open House. This year’s event will focus on youth literacy; books will be given to the first 300 children in attendance. Sgt. Santa will also be on hand, and professional storytellers will read to children by the fireplace. Friday, Dec.5 5-9PM

To raise awareness of the vital role rail plays in our nation’s transportation system, the City of Richmond will join Amtrak and other partner organizations in celebrating the first annual National Train Day in a public event at Main Street Station on Saturday, May 10 at 9:30AM.

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