Top concern of seniors? Transportation.
Well past time to bring the rails back. Virginia Groups Call for New East-West Trains Demographic trends show need for greater transportation options. Richmond, VA— A new report finds that expanding Virginia’s rail service to add an east-west corridor would make colleges and universities across the Commonwealth more accessible to students, increase economic development and tourism, and give 3.7 million Virginians additional access to passenger rail. “This expansion to our rail system would increase points of access for so many people across the state and beyond,” said Danny Plaugher, executive director of Virginians for High Speed Rail, “the corridor could serve nearly 3.7 million Virginians who live within 20 miles of a rail station by expanding our transportation connectivity.” Virginians for High Speed Rail, the Southern Environmental Law Center, the Hampton Roads Chamber, Virginia21, and Roanoke Regional Chamber jointly released the report, Expanding Virginia’s Passenger Rail: Connecting the Blue Ridge to the Beach with the Commonwealth Corridor. The benefits of creating an east-west rail service include:
“Mobility is a significant issue for Virginia’s college students and young professionals” said Jared Calfee, executive director of Virginia21. "Virginians under 35 possess the fewest drivers’ licenses per capita of any generation; exploring new options to get from point A to point B has the potential to make our colleges more accessible for students and our communities more attractive to the workforce of tomorrow." “The Roanoke region is served by the top Regional train in the nation, which generates millions in economic benefits for our region,” stated Joyce Waugh, President and CEO of Roanoke Regional Chamber, “a cross-state train will open numerous economic opportunities for our communities including increased tourism and connectivity.” “The need for more travel options is obvious,” said Trip Pollard, director of the Southern Environmental Law Center’s Land & Community Program. “To travel by train from Roanoke to Norfolk today would take 16 hours—including a 6-hour layover in Washington, DC. We can and we must do better for Virginians.” We are asking that the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation complete a feasibility study on the Commonwealth Corridor and outline potential next steps to launch this service as soon as possible. For more information, please visit www.CommonwealthCorridor.com or here to read the report. ### Virginians for High Speed Rail is a non-profit coalition of citizens, businesses, localities, community organizations, and economic development agencies that educate and advocate for the expansion of fast, frequent, and reliable rail service connecting our communities to increase the economic potential of the Commonwealth. We were founded in 1994 as a partnership between the Chamber RVA and the Future of Hampton Roads. www.VHSR.com. For over 30 years, the Southern Environmental Law Center has used the power of the law to champion the environment of the Southeast. With more than 80 attorneys and nine offices across the region, SELC is widely recognized as the Southeast’s foremost environmental organization and regional leader. SELC works on a full range of environmental issues to protect our natural resources and the health and well-being of all the people in our region. www.SouthernEnvironment.org The Hampton Roads Chamber is a vigorous advocate for the economic success of its nearly 2,000 member businesses, which employ 280,000 men and women in southeastern Virginia. The Chamber promotes Hampton Roads’ healthy business climate through economic development, public policy initiatives, services, and benefits to members. The Chamber is dedicated to creating economic opportunity and enhancing the quality of life in Hampton Roads. www.HamptonRoadsChamber.com Virginia21 is a 501(c)3 organization that has engaged over 100,000 young people in the political process by providing information, directing advocacy and coordinating political action on a non-partisan platform that includes higher education, student health and safety, and economic development. www.virginia21.org/ The Roanoke Regional Chamber fosters the growth of our members and our community by offering relevant programs and events designed to address business needs, solve business problems and increase opportunities for members. The Chamber promotes regional business by providing invaluable referrals and connections and influencing public policy to benefit all businesses. The Chamber was founded in 1889 and represents more than 800 businesses with over 75,000 employees and an estimated payroll of more than $1.5 billion. www.roanokechamber.org
1 Comment
9/15/2019 05:06:03 pm
Trains are essential machines that we use for us to go to our desired destination. There are traffics that might be a reason for us to be late, but trains are fast and this mode of transportation can be a convenient one. The government should know the right numbers to use so that the public will not have a hard time in using these trains. This will open the eyes of the people and I hope that it will be read by a right person and make a proposal for the benefit of the public.
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AuthorJeff Sodoma, MPA, Esq. is a lawyer based in Virginia Beach, Virginia Blog!Hello, there! Welcome to my blog. I will use this blog as a platform for my writing. I will write about topics in the legal world, certainly, as well as everything else under the sun, because I have many interests (and viewpoints). All views expressed in this blog, unless otherwise noted, are mine alone. One of my interests is music--my wife believes that I should go on "Beat Shazam" because I know so many songs--and I will be, from time to time, analyzing song lyrics and how they relate to the legal world.
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