Virginia Rail Advisory Board faces chopping block

An advisory board that rail officials said has strengthened freight and passenger rail relations in Virginia and helped further rail projects is in jeopardy as the governor looks to streamline government.

The Rail Advisory Board, formed about six years ago under then-Gov. Mark Warner (D), brings members of Virginia Railway Express, CSX, Norfolk Southern, the railroad unions and a few other organizations under one roof to advocate for rail projects and improve freight and passenger rail in the commonwealth.

Gov. Robert F. McDonnell's Commission on Government Reform and Restructuring, however, recommended in its report released last week that the rail board be eliminated. It is one of 133 recommendations the commission made to McDonnell (R), who is reviewing all the items to streamline government and cut costs.

"I think a major part of our transportation future in this country and in the commonwealth of Virginia is expansion of rail opportunities," said Sharon Bulova, VRE's representative on the Rail Advisory Board. "Without a Rail Advisory Board, we lose a very valuable forum for rail issues to be vetted and for rail opportunities to receive advocacy."

Bulova, who was one of the founding members of the rail board, said it has been crucial in strengthening the relationships between VRE and the two freight companies, which own the lines on which the commuter-rail system operates. Because of its collaboration with the freight carriers, VRE has improved its on-time performance since the board was form, she said.

"Through the creation of the rail board, the VRE has become a partner with the railroads rather than a tenant on their tracks," Bulova said, noting that the board's members have identified several signal and track improvements that have helped passenger and freight trains operate smoothly and simultaneously.

In an Oct. 20 letter to the commission, VRE Operations Board Chairman Paul V. Milde III also emphasized the Rail Advisory Board's role in securing funds for transportation projects. The board's recommendations have helped allocate nearly $125 million in capital funding for rail projects in Virginia, Milde said in his letter.

Del. G. Glenn Oder (R-Newport News), who was a committee chairman on the governor's commission, said the commission estimated that eliminating the board could save $10,000 a year, mainly in the staff time it takes to prepare for the board's quarterly meetings.

Oder said the advisory board was created when the commonwealth lacked much communication regarding rail issues. That, he said, has since been addressed in several ways. The Commonwealth Transportation Board seeks public input along with the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation. There is also a new North Carolina-Virginia compact that calls on the two states to work together on rail issues.

"There were 360 boards and commissions out there the commission had to evaluate," said Michael Reynold, McDonnell's deputy policy director and staff director for the commission. "There are so many avenues where views can be shared, so the question is: What's the most efficient way to do this? And that's to streamline boards and commissions."

VRE spokesman Mark Roeber said the rail service acknowledges the costs associated with the board and that the Department of Rail and Public Transportation plays a role in advancing rail. But the advisory board remains critical, he said. And there is no rail official on the Commonwealth Transportation Board, Bulova said.

"What's to say those relationships [between freight and passenger officials] don't become frayed again when the parties aren't sitting in the same room," Roeber said.

CSX spokesman Robert Sullivan said the rail board has been a "valuable asset" in elevating the discussion of rail issues. Regardless of the outcome of the commission's recommendations, CSX supports the continued existence of a venue in some form to advance rail developments. Norfolk Southern officials said they have not taken a position on the commission's recommendation.

Bulova also said the commission's recommendation seems counter to the state's efforts to advance rail transportation. The state recently received about $45 million in federal funds for studies and preliminary engineering for high-speed rail. State officials have also stressed the importance of exploring all mass transit options, including rail, to alleviate congestion on Virginia roadways.

"The potential for expansion of rail in Virginia is enormous," Bulova said, "and without the Rail Advisory Board, you don't have a place to have those discussions. We don't cost much, but I think the board makes a big difference."