Southeast High Speed ​​Rail Corridor

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SEHSR according to planning in 2000

The Southeast High Speed ​​Rail Corridor , abbreviated SEHSR , is a project that provides for the expansion of the rail infrastructure for passenger traffic in the southern part of the east coast of the United States . The Northeast Corridor connections are to be extended beyond Washington DC into the states of Virginia , North Carolina , South Carolina , Georgia and Florida . It is not a high-speed line based on the European model, as the maximum speed is limited to 90 mph (approx. 145 km / h).

history

The 1992 plan drawn up by the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) only provided for the route from Washington DC via Richmond and Raleigh to Charlotte . In 1996, the branch line from Richmond to Hampton Roads was added, and in 1998 planning was extended to the states of South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. The high-speed line was to be extended from Charlotte to Atlanta , and a second line was planned, which branches off at Raleigh and leads via Columbia and Savannah to Jacksonville . In 2000 the connection from Atlanta to Jacksonville was added.

In June 2001, the draft first stage environmental impact assessment for the Washington DC – Charlotte section was published. Operation with diesel locomotives was assumed. The trains were supposed to reach a maximum speed of 110 mph (approx. 177 km / h), whereby four pairs of trains were assumed every day , which would have covered the distance in six to seven and a half hours.

In October 2010, Virginia received US $ 44.3 million in federal funding to upgrade passenger railroad lines to complete the final second stage of the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the Washington DC – Richmond section, which was released in May 2019. The section is designated DC2RVArail for Washington, DC to R ichmond VA rail . The maximum speed of the passenger trains was limited to 90 mph, so that the safety systems do not have to be adapted for the existing routes used in mixed operation with freight trains .

The final second stage Environmental Impact Assessment (FEIS) for the Richmond – Raleigh section was submitted to the FRA in September 2015 .

In December 2019, the Virginia government and CSX, as owners of the railway infrastructure, agreed to separate freight and passenger traffic on the Washington DC – Richmond section. The $ 3.7 billion project includes the construction of a new long bridge over the Potomac River , the acquisition of land and railroad lines, and the construction of 60 km of new line. The new Long Bridge will be used exclusively by passenger trains, while the old bridge will continue to be used by freight trains. South of the Long Bridge to Alexandria , the line is to be expanded to four tracks, and from Alexandria to Fredericksburg to three tracks. This includes the Franconia-Springfield Passenger Rail Bypass, a 0.9 mile (1.45 km) long, single-track overpass that allows passenger trains south of Alexandria to cross the tracks used by freight trains on the existing route to Richmond , so that they are free of heights reach the Long Bridge on the right side of the route. When construction begins in 2023, completion is Template: future / in 5 yearsexpected in 2026 . After the expansion, Amtrak will be able to offer almost hourly connections between Washington and Richmond. Virginia Railway Express , the operator of the regional traffic, can offer 15-minute intervals during rush hour and can also operate on weekends.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b FRA, DRPT (Ed.): Tier II final Environmental Impact Statement and final section 4 (f) evaluation Executive Summary . May 2019, Executive Summary, p. 2 ( dc2rvarail.com [PDF]).
  2. ↑ a b c Carter Burgess (Ed.): Tier I Draft Environmental Impact Study . S. 1-6 ( google.ch ).
  3. ↑ a b DC to Richmond Southeast High Speed ​​Rail Corridor. DRPT, 2018, accessed April 10, 2020 .
  4. ^ Franconia-Springfield Passenger Rail Bypass. (PDF) Northern Virginia Transport Authority (English).;