It seems only a matter of time until high-speed passenger rail service begins between Norfolk and Richmond, according to a report in the Sunday, March 21 Virginian-Pilot. Initial funding exists, politicians have expressed their commitment and the need grows daily. If rail operators, state transportation officials and local planners work out the specifics of how to upgrade tracks, place stations and ensure revenues, Amtrak trains could begin running along CSX and Norfolk Southern rails as soon as 2011.
An idea that appeals to many stakeholders is connecting passenger rail with the coming Tide commuter light-rail system in Norfolk.
Passenger trains stopped arriving in Norfolk in 1997, but several freight trains run between south Hampton Roads and Western Tidewater each day. Allowing trains carrying passenger to use the tracks running parallel to U.S. 460 and I-95 can happen immediately. Reasons why that change will take months, if not years, include the absence of rail stations in Petersburg, Chesapeake, Suffolk and Downtown Norfolk. Also holding up the decision to add rail as a commuter option between southside Virginia and the state capital is the promise of true high-speed rail for the region within the next decade.
Still, former U.S. congresswoman Thelma Drake has been crisscrossing Virginia in her new role as the state’s Department of Rail and Public Transportation director and spreading the message, "Whether you like rail or not, it is the future." In particular, Drake touts passenger rail directly to Norfolk — rather than just to Newport News — an essential alternative to driving in a future in which road construction cannot keep up with business, military and tourism demands.
EJL
About the Editors: The Shapiro, Cooper, Lewis & Appleton personal injury law firm, whose attorneys work out of offices in Virginia (VA) and North Carolina (NC), edits the injury law blogs Virginia Beach Injuryboard, Norfolk Injuryboard and Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard as pro bono services.
Rick Shapiro has practiced personal injury law for over 30 years in Virginia, North Carolina, and throughout the Southeastern United States. He is a Board-Certified Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy (ABA Accredited) and has litigated injury cases throughout the eastern United States, including wrongful death, trucking, faulty products, railroad, and medical negligence claims. During his three-decade career, Shapiro has won client appeals before the VA Supreme Court, VA Court of Appeals, NC Supreme Court, SC Supreme Court, WV Supreme Court, TN Supreme Court, and three times before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, underscoring Shapiro’s trial achievements. In addition, he and his law firm have won settlements/verdicts in excess of $100 million. His success in and out of the courtroom is a big reason why he was named 2019 “Lawyer of the Year” in railroad law in U.S. News & World Report's Best Lawyers publication (Norfolk, VA area), and he has been named a “Best Lawyer” and “Super Lawyer” by those peer-reviewed organizations for multiple years. Rick was also named a “Leader in the Law, Class of 2022” by Virginia Lawyers Weekly (total of 33 statewide honorees consisting of lawyers and judges across Virginia). And in September 2023, Rick was selected as a recipient of the National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA) 2023 President’s Award. Although many nominations were submitted from across the country, Rick was just one of eight attorneys chosen by the prestigious National Board which certifies civil trial attorneys across the U.S. Rick was also recently named to Virginia Lawyers Weekly 2024 Virginia’s Go To Lawyers Medical Malpractice. The attorneys awarded this honor are nominated by their colleagues and chosen by a panel from the publication.
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