Wheels of Progress: Long Bridge Edition

by Sean Jeans-Gail, VP of Gov't Affairs + Policy

October has seen several important milestones in the ongoing effort to revolutionize America’s passenger rail network. Some of the developments were funded directly by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), while some involved legislators and the private sector looking to build on the momentum of IIJA-backed upgrades.

The Virginia Passenger Rail Authority (VPRA) hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for the state’s Long Bridge Project this week, kicking off construction of the $2.3 billion two-track railroad bridge over the Potomac River. This project will provide increased capacity for passenger rail service between Virginia and the rest of the Northeast Corridor, improving rail operations across the entire eastern seaboard.

The new rail bridge will supplement the 119-year-old CSX-owned Long Bridge, which has developed into a major chokepoint for intercity passenger, commuter, and freight rail operations. The Long Bridge Project, funded through a $729 million IIJA grant, is part of the Commonwealths’ long-term development of the DC - Richmond, VA - Raleigh, NC corridor. It will also improve freight operations along the East Coast.

“In Virginia, our crippling traffic has truly become a bipartisan issue, and the Long Bridge groundbreaking represents our bipartisan solution,” said VPRA Executive Director DJ Stadtler. “But it’s not just Virginians who will benefit. Travelers from Boston to Miami will feel the effects of this project, and through our Transforming Rail in Virginia initiative, VPRA’s capital investments will add $7.2 billion to our economy.”

Pennsylvania Congressmen Chris Deluzio (D-PA) and Brendan Boyle (D-PA) introduced the Rail Passenger Fairness Act last week, a bill that would help protect Amtrak passengers’ right to on-time by allowing Amtrak to defend its statutory right to preferential dispatching by host railroads in court.

“By law, Amtrak has the right to preferential dispatching for its trains, and has had this right since 1973,” said Rail Passengers President Jim Mathews. “Unfortunately, Amtrak is entirely dependent on the Department of Justice (DOJ) for enforcement action of this right, which has only happened twice. That means tens of millions of American passengers have had limited recourse for relief from these host railroad-caused delays. Our association is extremely appreciative of the leadership shown by Reps. Deluzio and Boyle for introducing legislation to protect the legal rights of passengers to quality, on-time service.

(The DOJ did file a complaint against Norfolk Southern in July of this year. This is only the second time it has initiated enforcement action of preferential dispatching, with the first filing taking place all the way back in 1979. That case is still working its way through the courts.)

The Rail Passengers Association endorsed the Rail Passenger Fairness Act, and we were joined by the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers (SMART); the Transportation Communications Union; and the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Commission.

Google and Amtrak are partnering to include Amtrak train departure times, trip durations and fares in the search engine’s results for travel between valid destination city-pairs.

This will benefit existing passengers, who will be able to click through to Amtrak.com and complete their booking without reentering their trip details. It will also present travelers looking to book flights on Google Flights and through Google Search with a passenger rail option, when relevant.

‘One of the biggest impacts we can make towards climate change is shifting the way people get around’, said Amtrak President Roger Harris. ‘As we continue offering services that motivate people to shift out of cars and planes into trains, we are thrilled that this integration makes it even easier for users to find rail options for their travel needs while also potentially lowering their carbon emissions.’