Fighting for commuter rail to Loudoun
Dear Editor:
A year ago, I wrote a letter to the editor proposing to bring back the W&OD as a commuter rail line. I received a wave of public support, getting emails from people across the region who loved the project. I worked alongside them to build NOVA-TRAC, a group that would be a voice for improving public transit. Together, we worked tirelessly to build the group that would advocate for bringing back the W&OD.
After months of hard work and preparation, we launched on Jan. 13, with over a dozen local business and nonprofit supporters.
So why the W&OD? Wasn’t the railway abandoned for a reason? Well, when it was abandoned, Loudoun County had a population of 37,000. Now, Loudoun is home to over 420,000 people and is the fastest growing county in the DC area. Things have changed.
Now, with Loudoun’s soaring population, roads are seeing increasing traffic and commuters are left with few options. Want to escape the traffic? You have to pay to take 267. Want to use public transit? If you don’t live within walking distance of the Metro, you’ll have to pay the toll to drive to the Metro anyways, and then spend over an hour on the train when the drive only takes 40 minutes.
With the W&OD trail owning a 100-foot-wide strip of land, we can build a rail line that will give commuters a choice for an affordable price, while keeping the trail. A trip from Leesburg to DC would take just 45 minutes on the line. We calculate that building this commuter rail line would cost half as much as the Silver Line, connecting areas that are twice as densely populated.
Why so cheap? Because land acquisition is “very expensive and time consuming.” Using the W&OD, the process would be affordable and straightforward as the land belongs to the counties themselves.
So what is NOVA-TRAC doing to make this a reality? Last week, we presented our proposal to the Hamilton town council. We are building support amongst local towns, municipalities, businesses and nonprofits to get a study of the project commissioned.
Want to learn more or get involved? Visit nova-trac.com
Ryan Jones
Hamilton
Comments
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This is the most ridiculous plan I have ever heard of. All you are doing is giving greedy developers more incentive to push into Western Loudoun. And who is going to pay for this? You think the Dulles Greedway folks are going to support this?