On Friday at 11:30 am, the fate of billions of transportation dollars–and the future of high speed rail in Hampton Roads–will be decided in a room with a capacity for less than 100 people.

No one’s keeping the conclave a secret–you’re invited, by the way–so why is this the first time you’ve heard about the big meeting?

It’s a mouthful, but “HRTPO” is an acronym worth knowing. In a region splintered by centuries of parochial politics, the Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization was established to address the issue that unites us all. The hope of HRTPO’s special meeting this Friday is to endorse one of five general options for rail in Hampton Roads. Politically, the stars seem aligned for “Alternative 1,” designating the Southside as the region’s high-speed corridor and maintaining Amtrak on the Peninsula. By passing a resolution to this effect, we will have made for the first time–get ready–a meaningful decision about the shape of high speed rail in Hampton Roads. It’s been years in the making.

While there will surely be much back-patting for this historic endorsement, Friday’s resolution will not go far enough, or fast enough, to cinch the golden opportunity before us. Two gauntlets will remain unaddressed, either of which will be enough to derail our region’s future economic growth and quality of life.

For meaningful dialogue to take place this Friday, the room must be filled with voices to advocate more than a paper resolution. Forgo lunch. Surprise The Man and show up.

Gauntlet #1: We must act much more quickly.

sehsr.org

With rail champion Will Sessoms at the helm, HRTPO is in capable hands. But monthly meetings simply do not provide a fast enough framework during a very short window of opportunity. When the federal government releases its Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) some time in the next few months, it will be imperative for our region to respond as quickly and as thoroughly as possible. Friday’s meeting is as good a time as any to appoint a High Speed Rail Task Force–a knowledgeable group dedicated to working every day to resolve issues and move our rail plan forward. Members of the task force will enable us to make the most informed decisions possible and to craft a detailed regional proposal.

Our past indecision is the very reason Hampton Roads isn’t on the high speed “main line” to begin with: we stood divided through the 1990s while North Carolina had its act together, rewarded now with designated rail in metros a third our size. The HRTPO is now working to make sure we aren’t asleep at the wheel again–and with the authority to create task forces to oversee special initiatives. High speed rail grants HRTPO a perfect opportunity to flex its muscle.

Gauntlet #2: We must insist on 110 mph track.

All high speed rail is created equal, but some is more equal than others. To avoid a lengthy technical discussion about engineering design standards, allow me to introduce shorthand for three very different kinds of rail. Conventional Rail–think Amtrak–has a maximum allowable speed of 79 mph (actual speed may vary). At 90 mph, “Emerging High Speed Rail” is essentially Amtrak Plus: while there is marginal improvement over conventional rail, it’s mostly a semantic framing to appease second-tier markets.

True High Speed Rail is 110 mph track, and 110 will be the new standard. Troubling, therefore, is HRTPO’s broad-strokes use of the phrase “90 or 110 mph rail” throughout its alternatives. “90 or 110” is a major distinction–like describing the ideal human body temperature as “78.7 or 98.7 degrees.”

Our region must unite behind 110 mph rail, its benefits exponential next to lesser. While Hampton Roads is only a spur on the currently-envisioned map, building at 110 mph would grant the possibility of becoming a through destination in the future. Unless our region insists on 110 mph track, Hampton Roads is destined to be the same cul-de-sac of rail that we are of highways.

Reading the headlines, you might think high-speed rail is a done deal. True: Hampton Roads has been federally designated on the planned high-speed rail corridor. And yes, there looks to be actual funding behind those plans. But the details–where the devil is–are anything but clear.

YES, YOU’RE INVITED!
HRTPO Special Meeting
Friday, October 30
11:30 am–1:30 pm
Hampton Roads Planning District’s Regional Board Room
723 Woodlake Drive, Chesapeake 23320