Richmond Branch ASCE Technical Lunch MeetingJanuary 12, 2016

Project OverviewJacob Craig, PE – DRPT Director of Engineering and Project Oversight

Michael Knott, PE – Vice President, Moffatt & Nichol

• Virginia Dept. of Rail & Public Transportation (DRPT)& Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)• Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT)

• CSX Transportation (CSXT)

• Amtrak

• Virginia Railway Express (VRE)

• DRPT Consultant Team• HDR (Prime)

• Parsons Transportation Group (PTG)

• Moffatt & Nichol (M&N)

• Specialty Subconsultants (7 SWAM/DBE firms)

Project Team

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Corridor Overview

•123-mi le corr idor

•Fo l lows CSX’s ra i l l ine

•Shared f re ight ra i l and passenger ra i l

cor r idor

•Amtrak prov ides interc i ty passenger

ra i l ser v ice

•Virg in ia R a i lway Express prov ides

commuter ra i l ser v ice

Washington, DC to Richmond Southeast High

Speed Rail

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A Look Back| Progress To Date

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Project Purpose & Need

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Technical Criteria for Concept & Preliminary Engineering

Basis of Design

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• Objective: major stakeholder agreement on design criteria upfront

• BOD was developed using an iterative process in advance of concept development

• Copy of BOD available on the DC2RVA Project Websitehttp://www.dc2rvarail.com/

Basis of Design

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Basis of Design

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Key

Fea

ture

s: • Maximum Allowable Passenger Speed = 90 mph

• Maximum Allowable Freight Speed = 60 mph

• 15-foot main-line track centers, where feasible

• Passenger stations include low-level side /center island platforms

• Utilization of previously completed studies and designs in the corridor, where feasible

• New Grade Separations at At-Grade Crossings to be Minimized

• Maintain CSX freight neutrality

• No adverse impact on Amtrak and VRE operations

KEY FEATURES

Basis of Design

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Existing & Historic Constraints of Rail Operations

RichmondMini-Documentary

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Video available on the DC2RVA Project Websitehttp://www.dc2rvarail.com/

Alternatives Development and Screening

Understand the Process

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Preliminary Rail Alignment Options

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Preliminary Rail Alignment Screening

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Direct Effects - Outside ROW Only

• Historic resources listed on or eligible for the National Register of Historic Places

• Federal, state, or local parks and recreation areas

• Federal or state wildlife/waterfowl refuges

• Military installations

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Compare Order of Magnitude Impacts

• Total area outside existing ROW

• Urban/developed

• Agricultural

• Hazardous waste sites

• Agricultural and forestal districts

• Federal, state, and private conservation lands; Natural Heritage sites; and Virginia Outdoor Foundation easements

• Wetlands (known and potential) and Wetland Mitigation Banks

• Cemeteries

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Compare to Potential and Existing Infrastructure

• Existing rail bridges

• New rail bridges

• Existing road overpasses

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Richmond Area Options

• Identify station location options

• Define passenger/freight service operational requirements

• Identify rail alignment and infrastructure requirements

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Alternatives Carried Forward

Narrowing the Options

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• Constraints• Waterways

• Parks/wildlife refuges

• Urban areas

• Topography

• Limited opportunity for increased speed

• Add track for capacity

• Possible Fredericksburg bypass

Northern Section

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• Rural north of Ashland

• Suburban south of Ashland

• Few stations

• Improve trip time• Ashland bypass

• Doswell passenger flyover

• Straighten curves

Central Section

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• No Build• Maintain two

tracks

• No service additions

• Maintain current operations

• Minor track improvements

• Build• Add third track, modify

curves to improve speed

• Possible double-track bypass connecting to the Dahlgren spur east of Fredericksburg

• Possible double-track bypass to the west of Ashland

Northern and Central Sections Alternatives Carried Forward

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• Multiple existing alignments

• Historic constraints, including significant terrain changes

• Congested rail operations

• Station location options drive the process

• Improvements focused on reliability and capacity of passenger train movements

Richmond Section

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Richmond Alternatives Development

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Evaluate station locations using:• FRA station location guidance

• Rail infrastructure requirements• Ability to serve intercity passenger rail

needs

• Ability to accommodate CSX’s freight rail operations

• Use of S and A lines

• Evaluate rail infrastructure improvements using criteria applied to other alignment options in 123-mile corridor

• Intercity passenger rail stations should be located in or near the central business district.

• For larger metro areas, there should be one or more suburban stations.

• Stations should be readily accessible and cater to business and leisure travel.

FRA Station Location Guidance

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• What rail infrastructure is required for each station location option?• Main track

• Sidings

• Crossovers

• Bridges

• Must serve intercity passenger rail needs and accommodate CSX’s freight rail operations

• Alternate passenger routes• CSX S-Line

• CSX A-Line

Rail Infrastructure Requirements

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Two Station Solution (3 Options)

• Main Street & Staples Mill Road Stations

• Full Service (S-Line)

• Split Service (A-Line)

• Shared Service (S-Line & A-Line)

Single Station Solution (4 Options)

• Main Street Station (S-Line)

• Boulevard Station (A-Line)

• Broad Street Station (A-Line)

• Staples Mill Street Station (A-Line)

Richmond Screening Process | Station Locations

7 Station Options for Further Screening

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FourPotentially Reasonable Station Locations

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Two Station SolutionA station to serve downtown and station to serve suburban customers

Two Station OptionsA station to serve downtown and station to serve suburban customers

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Single Station OptionsAll rail service routed through one single station; combines attributes of downtown station and suburban station

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Summary of Alternatives Carried Forward

HomeAbout the ProjectGet InvolvedNewsroomResourcesContacts

DC2RVA Project Website

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http://www.dc2rvarail.com/

• DC2RVA home page – Resources link

Project Website – Maps & Information

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• December 2015 Public Meeting Materials – Online Meeting Link

Project Website – Maps & Information

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• Online Meeting – Richmond Section Screening Results with LinksClick “View Detailed Mapping of Alternatives”

Project Website – Maps & Information

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• Links to Detailed Maps of 7 Station Alternatives

Project Website – Maps & Information

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• Example of Overview Map

Project Website – Maps & Information

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• Example of Detail Maps – Select sheet for area of interest

Project Website – Maps & Information

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• Example of Detail Map (Zoom in for details)

Project Website – Maps & Information

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Looking Ahead What’s Next

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DC2RVA Project – Next Steps

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• Draft EIS (DEIS)• Preferred alternative identified

• Operations & ridership modeling• Station facilities planning

(terminal, parking, access, etc.)

• Further refinement of alternatives(at-grade crossings, grade separations, etc.)

• Service development plan• Continued stakeholder input• PE Completion concurrent with

Final EIS (FEIS)

Thank You For Attending! Questions?

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