The Tide (light rail network)

The Tide
Tide Light Rail Train during a Test Run
Overview
Status	Under construction
Owner	Hampton Roads Transit
Locale	Norfolk, Virginia
Termini	Eastern Virginia Medical Center (west) Newtown Road (east)
Stations	11
Service
Type	Light rail
System	Hampton Roads Transit
Operator(s)	Hampton Roads Transit
Rolling stock	Siemens S70
History
Opened	Scheduled for August 19, 2011
Technical
Line length	7.4 mi (11.9 km)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Route map The Tide EVMC/Fort Norfolk York Street/Freemason Monticello MacArthur Square Civic Plaza I-264 Harbor Park I-264 NSU Maintenance and Storage Facility Ballentine/Broad Creek I-264 Ingleside Road Broad Creek Military Highway I-64 Newtown Road All stations are accessible

The Tide is the light rail system in Norfolk, Virginia, United States. It began service on August 19, 2011. While Northern Virginia has several lines of the Washington, DC Metro rapid transit system, The Tide will become the first light rail service in the state of Virginia. Ongoing testing of trains and electronic signage, along with the history of cost overruns and delays, delayed three projected openings, including January 2010 and May 2011. It is projected to have a daily ridership of between 7,130 to 11,400 passengers upon completion.

The Tide is operated by Hampton Roads Transit (HRT). The initial line will run 7.4 mi (11.9 km) through Downtown Norfolk serving as a connection between the Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk State University, and Newtown Road. The $338 millon system is estimated to cost $6.2 million a year to operate. The fare will be the same as that for buses. HRT's GO Passes will also be accepted.

History

In November 1999 the City of Virginia Beach conducted a referendum regarding the construction and operation of light rail into Virginia Beach along the Norfolk Southern railroad right-of-way. The proposed route would connect downtown Norfolk to the Virginia Beach oceanfront. The referendum led to a very active community discussion of the proposed light rail and feeder bus system. Local media and many special interest groups debated the matter in great detail, using information provided by a DEIS (Draft Environmental Impact Statement). When the votes were counted, the voters of Virginia Beach had rejected the proposed light rail system. The Virginia Beach City Council then passed a 10-year resolution declaring that the city would no longer have any future involvement in the proposed light rail line. Years later, a major economic and development hub has been successfully built along the Norfolk Southern rail corridor, known as the Virginia Beach Town Center. The new Town Center, along with record high gas prices in 2008, has now stirred up a renewed public interest in light rail which can now easily connect to the current rail line being constructed in Norfolk. A new referendum on light rail will not necessarily be needed in Virginia Beach due to the 10-year expiration of the previous referendum.

Since that time, the City of Virginia Beach agreed to purchase the portion of the former Norfolk & Southern Railway right-of-way within Virginia Beach from Norfolk Southern. This line extends from the Norfolk/Virginia Beach boundary (near the end of the light rail line in Norfolk), continuing almost due east through the Pembroke Town Center area to Birdneck Road, ending very near the Oceanfront area of the resort city. However, no firm plans (e.g. for LRT, Bus Rapid Transit, or other uses) have been announced for the purchased right-of-way. Public transit advocates generally see the move as a favorable one, however.

After Virginia Beach pulled out of a proposal that would have seen the construction of a light rail line connecting Downtown Norfolk with the Virginia Beach oceanfront in 1999, Norfolk began the process of developing a network that would be constructed entirely within Norfolk's city limits.

Between 2000 and 2006, HRT officials worked with federal transit officials in developing a plan that would be successful in gaining federal funding to construct. On September 22, 2006, HRT was informed that their proposal had met the federal criteria for both design and funding to move into final design process. On October 1, 2007, the Federal Transit Administration formally signed the agreement to appropriate $128 million for the construction of the network. The remainder of the project will be divided three ways, with the city of Norfolk contributing $33 million, the Commonwealth of Virginia contributing $31.9 million, and $39.2 million being contributed from other federal sources.

The Tide was publicly announced in June 2007 as the official name of the light rail system. The name was selected over several other finalists that included: Bay Runner, First Rail, Dash, Bay Breeze, Sail and Shore Line.

The trains will operate at 10-minute intervals during peak periods, and at 15-minute intervals during off-peak periods. Early morning service on weekends and late evening service would operate at 30-minute intervals. Service will be from 6:00 a.m. through 10 p.m Monday-Thursday, 6:00 a.m. through midnight on Friday-Saturday, 7:00 a.m through 9:00 p.m. on Sundays, and 9:00 a.m. through 9:00 p.m. on Holidays.

On 21 June 2011, it was announced that the line would open on 19 August with demonstration rides offered, and regular service would begin on 22 August.

Rolling stock

In September 2007, HRT’s commission voted to purchase nine Siemens-built S70 vehicles, similar to those currently in operation for the LYNX Blue Line in Charlotte, North Carolina. These vehicles will form The Tide's initial fleet of light rail vehicles. The first car arrived on October 6, 2009.

Route

The Tide is designed with the hope that TOD (Transit-oriented development) will be constructed along the light rail line, creating a smart growth transit corridor to help guide future growth using compact mixed-use development practices, as well as curbing the ever increasing traffic congestion.

Current Route

Most of the Tide's route east of downtown Norfolk operates on newly-laid track along the former Norfolk & Southern Railway line that runs due east to the resort area of Virginia Beach, VA. The Norfolk Southern Railway had previously abandoned that line. That right-of-way had carried both freight and passenger traffic until the end of World War II, and then operated as a freight-only railway for several additional decades. The current eastern end of The Tide is at Newtown Road, which is the Norfolk-Virginia Beach boundary line.

By contrast, The Tide's route from the Harbor Park area west within downtown Norfolk and north-west to the Medical Center area is entirely new right-of-way.

Possible Future Routes

The Commonwealth of Virginia's Department of Rail & Public Transportation is studying possible extensions to The Tide in several different directions within the multi-city Hampton Roads area. Hampton Roads Transit, the Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization, and local cities are exploring future extensions of the starter line. Possible extensions might run north to the Norfolk Naval Base, east to the Virginia Beach oceanfront and resort area, west to Portsmouth, and south to Chesapeake.

Chesapeake

The DRPT study cited above is considering an extension south from Norfolk, probably terminating in the Greenbrier area of Chesapeake, VA.

Norfolk

The DRPT study cited above is considering extending The Tide from its current Medical Center terminus to the Norfolk Naval Base. Such an extension would also connect Old Dominion University to the light rail service. The naval base is one of the largest employers in the Hampton Roads area and ODU is a large public university, so many think this extension would attract daily commuters.

Peninsula

The Peninsula Rapid Transit Project is exploring the feasibility of light rail in Newport News. According to the DRPT study cited above, likely stops for The Tide on the Peninsula would include downtown Newport News, the Newport News Amtrak passenger railway station, the Oyster Point area, and the airport at Patrick Henry Field (PHF). An extension between downtown Newport News and downtown Hampton is also being considered.

Virginia Beach

This proposed LRT extension would continue along the former Norfolk & Southern Railway right of way, thereby bisecting the most populated city in Virginia. Major stops would be located at the recently constructed "Town Center" project in the Pembroke area, near Oceana Naval Air Station, and would terminate at the Virginia Beach Convention Center, which is in the Resort Area and only a few blocks west of the Atlantic Ocean. A possible spur would branch at the N&S Railway's Oceana Junction (just east of London Bridge Road and just north of Potters Road) and use the existing abandoned railway right-of-way along the west side of Oceana Naval Air Station to the south. Most of the former N&S Railway line from the Witchduck Road area south to the Virginia Beach Municipal Center remains empty and undeveloped, so this is another possible future LRT extension.

Many in Hampton Roads believe that Virginia Beach eventually will extend The Tide light rail service east from the current terminus at Newtown Road. Virginia Beach's mayor, Will Sessoms, stated the day he was sworn in that he hoped to purchase the right of way within two weeks. He made good on this soon after, purchasing the tracks for $40 Million, using $10 million of local tax funds. The total rail line would run about 18 miles. There are disputes about the likely cost and the desirability of this proposed extension. One estimate anticipates a capital cost of roughly $720M and an operating cost of between $16M to $20M (in 2009 dollars).[citation needed]

In the April 2011 State of the City speech given by Mayor Sessoms, serious doubt was cast on whether the project would come to Virginia Beach. Citing cost, skepticism about the volume of riders, and the actual benefit of the project, it was suggest the use of existing rail corridor may be used to connect to a high speed rail.

Cost overruns & Delays; Change in Leadership

In January 2010, HRT's executive director, Michael Townes, was pressured by the Board of Directors and ultimately agreed to step down after the revelation of a $100 million dollar cost overrun and a one year delay on the light-rail project under his oversight. A majority of the board members cited poor management and communication on his part. He was to serve at full pay and benefits helping with a transition and continue to seek additional funding until September 2010, after which the Board agreed to a severance package of full pay and benefits for another full year. As an interim measure, the Board hired former VDOT Commissioner Philip A. Shucet for 1 year affective February 1, 2010 at the rate of $40,000 per month to lead the agency, with a mandate to restore financial integrity and communication pending selection of a new Executive Director.

In May 2010 council elections, long-time incumbent and light rail supporter Randy Wright, a HRT board member, lost his bid for reelection. His successful opponent, also an advocate of light rail, cited the massive waste and delays under Towne's administration. Wright, blamed "the Tide" for his defeat, stating "The cost overruns were the difference... I didn't know about the overruns and couldn't have, but people just didn't believe that." Another HRT board member, Paige Washington, also lost a reelection bid in Hampton. News media sources reported that "Three million dollars [of HRT funds designated for projects on the Virginia Peninsula] were diverted to Norfolk to [help] pay for its light rail cost overrun"

See also

• Light rail
• Light rail in North America
• Hampton Roads Transit

External links

• Hampton Roads Transit (HRT)
• HRT's Ride The Tide website
• VA Dept of Rail & Public Transit (DRPT)
• DRPT - Norfolk Light Rail
• DRPT - Hampton Roads Transit Vision Plan