City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: OCTOBER 18, 2017
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
FROM: MARK B. JINKS, CITY MANAGER /s/
DOCKET TITLE:
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Consideration of a Resolution to Endorse Staff Comments Related to the D.C. to Richmond (DC2RVA) Southeast High Speed Rail Project - Tier II Draft Environmental Impact Statement. [ROLL-CALL VOTE]
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ISSUE: Potential impacts of the proposed D.C. to Richmond (DC2RVA) Southeast High Speed Rail Project.
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council adopt the attached resolution concerning the DC2RVA Tier II Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
BACKGROUND: The DC2RVA project corridor is a proposed 123-mile stretch of railroad between Richmond, Virginia and the Potomac River crossing in Arlington, Virginia. Both freight and passenger rail services operate along the corridor, with Amtrak providing intercity passenger rail service and Virginia Railway Express (VRE) providing commuter rail service.
The DC2RVA project corridor is a segment of the federally-designated Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor (SEHSR) in the northernmost part of a five-state network of a high speed rail corridor under development, stretching southward from Washington D.C. through Richmond to Raleigh, Charlotte, Atlanta and Jacksonville.
The overall goals of the DC2RVA project are to:
* Improve reliability and on-time performance
* Reduce travel time and improve trip times
* Increase frequency by adding up to 9 Amtrak round-trips daily between DC and Richmond from the current service of 10 trips per day
DISCUSSION: Currently, the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) is engaged in a Tier II Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) process that evaluates the benefits, costs, and environmental effects of several possible alternatives. The Tier II Draft EIS (DEIS) identifies a preferred rail alignment and a ser...
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