By KELLY HANNON
WOODBRIDGE
--The Virginia Railway Express Operations Board met in closed session yesterday for nearly an hour to discuss Spotsylvania County's possible membership in the commuter railway.The board took no action after returning to public session. Negotiations are continuing, said VRE spokesman Mark Roeber.
The board discussed several of Spotsylvania's requests, including an opt out clause that would let the county dissolve membership ties, Roeber said.
So far, no locality that has ever joined VRE has tried to leave.
The negotiations follow a June 11 summit on VRE membership at Spotsylvania's Riverbend High School. Four members of the Spotsylvania County Board of Supervisors have said they support holding a public hearing on possible VRE membership.
Though Spotsylvania
Earlier at the meeting, the board approved an order for three new locomotives. This brings VRE's total order of new locomotives to 12.
The locomotives will be built by Motive Power Inc. in Boise, Idaho. The contract for all 12 locomotives will not exceed $48 million. The locomotives are being funded with a combination of stimulus funds, other federal funds, a federal earmark and grant funding.
Some of VRE's 20 locomotives are decades old, and the older models are often responsible for mechanical-related train delays.
"This is a big step for us," Zehner said.
VRE also got the board's permission to issue requests for proposals to begin environmental and engineering work on a possible extension of the Manassas Line to Gainesville-Haymarket.
Extending train service further west could increase ridership by 1,000 to 5,000 passengers a day, Zehner told board members.
The new service is not inexpensive.
Starting service to Gainesville-Haymarket would cost $153 to $244 million in construction costs, with annual operating costs of $8 to $25 million. VRE could save $28 million on construction if train service is extended to Gainesville only. Also, 50 percent to 60 percent of operating costs are recouped through tickets sales, Zehner said.
Expanding VRE service in Prince William County could lower the amount of financial support Fredericksburg and Stafford give to VRE on an annual basis.
Starting this year, counties and cities will pay VRE a subsidy based on ridership figures only. The more VRE riders that live in a city or county, the more that city or county will pay.
If the number of Prince William residents riding the train increases as expected, Prince William could end up paying more, while Stafford and Fredericksburg could end up paying less.
Zehner cautioned board members from drawing early conclusions about the project's funding and subsidies. "A lot depends on which alternative you end up picking and how you do it," Zehner said.
Arriving at those answers will take time. The environmental and engineering work will begin this fall, and take a minimum of 12 to 18 months to complete, and up to three years if a more extensive environmental review is required.
Kelly Hannon: 540/374-5436
Email: khannon@freelancestar.com