5/14/08 * Fredericksburg Freelance Star [ full story ]
Town Councilman Chris Snider last night told his fellow members that Culpeper could potentially have daily Amtrak business passenger rail service to and from Washington by 2010.
But Dorothy Campbell, speaking during a public forum session, urged town and county residents to act quickly or that rail service could go to the Interstate-95 corridor. “Amtrak only has equipment for one corridor,” Campbell said. “They want to see local response and we need to have that response in to Matt Tucker [of the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation] by June 1.”
Snider said that he and Mayor Pranas Rimeikis began discussing the possibility of extended rail service with Amtrak last year, and that at a recent meeting it was learned that a daily morning train that originated in Lynchburg and stopped in Culpeper on its way to Washington (and then New York) was a possibility.
“It could happen within two years,” Snider said in urging the Town Council to pass a resolution–which it did unanimously–to show support for the measure.
“That resolution is not enough,” Campbell said. “We need to follow up with our delegates or we’re not going to get it.”
And Campbell stressed the urgency of rail proponents getting their written comments in to Tucker (1313 East Main St. Suite 300, Richmond, Va. 23219) before the end of this month.
