Roanoke Rapids and Emporia were mentioned as areas to have temporary Amtrak service while high speed rail from Richmond to Raleigh is discussed.

The comments were made last week at a public hearing on the matter in Alberta, Virginia.

Charles Gregors of Southeast High Speed Rail told an audience of hundreds of Mecklenburg and Brunswick County residents he had recommended officials to speak to Amtrak about starting a service in Emporia or Roanoke Rapids while waiting on this project, which could not be operational for another 10 years.

The matter was not mentioned in detail during the hearing on the project draft environmental impact statement.
The series of eight public hearings on the Tier II Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that covers the portion of the Southeast High Speed Rail (SEHSR) corridor between Richmond and Raleigh, N.C. began last week and according to officials the process of studying the EIS could take up to two years. The hearings will be held across North Carolina and Virginia.

The EIS represents eight years of engineering and environmental work along with public involvement, and officials taught it as a major milestone toward implementing high speed rail in North Carolina and Virginia.
Right of way and construction dates will depend on funding with the earliest right of way acquisition beginning in mid 2012, according to officials from the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) and the North Carolina Department of Transportation Rail (NCDOT) Office.

The federal project is yet to be funded, according to DRPT Director Thelma Drake. When she announced this to the crowd Thursday several applauded.
Officials have said the entire project is currently estimated to cost between $2.5 and $4.5 billion to construct. Specific details regarding operations and the speed during each leg of the rail would be determined once the project enters the engineering phase because the train's speed depends on the track infrastructure and the track design, among other factors.

"I have spent many hours riding trains," Lillie Munford, La Crosse resident and a former Town of La Crosse Council member, said. The proposed plan provides for a stop by the Rail in La Crosse. "My mother was from the western section of the state and we lived in the eastern section so we went every year. I went to college in that section. I was a staunch supporter of this in the beginning but now I am no longer sure.
"The reason I am no longer sure is that I question the placement of the crossing in the little town of La Crosse. I am concerned about the town. It is going to make it very difficult for anyone on the east side of town to get to the west side. Unfortunately, our fire department is located on the east side of the track so it is going to make it very difficult for them to get to those calls, where as now they can go out and go in any direction with a great deal of ease.
"So I have gone from being a staunch supporter to very undecided and I would like for someone to explain to us why there can be antiquated crossings in North Carolina and not in Virginia. I have been to almost all these meetings and we have gone around that long and hard. I know it keeps coming up and I would like someone to tell me why.
"What we have tried to do is find reasonable ways to open crossings or what we call grade separations," Chief of Rail Transportation Kevin Page said. "We have to look at each of these, site specific. We have tried to provide crossings, either over- or under grade within close proximity with any from the old railroad.
"I am familiar with the comment about La Crosse and we have tried to work through that. We will look at that again as well. One of the reasons the section from Richmond down to Norlina is what we call grade-separated is because in this area the maximum achievable speed of the train will be 110 miles per hour. So it is for the safety of the community and the people in the motoring public and pedestrians will be safer to offer an above- or below-grade crossing, which means a bridge over or under, the road."
"I want everyone here to know that I oppose this project," tobacco farmer Jason Clary said, which caused many in the crowd to applaud. "My grandfather bought this land in 1953. This is basically going to dissect my farming operation," Clary continued as he chocked back tears. "It does it in a way that I will never have it back. I understand progress has to happen. For you people that want it, I wish you would think about the neighbor that it is really, really going to put out of business." He said one proposal puts the track near his family's "lifetime" investment, tobacco operation, and the other proposal puts the track 300-yards from his home. "I don't see a win for me here."
Page said he would look into this situation and get back to Clary. He noted some portions of the proposed rail have one proposal and other sections may have two or three proposed options for construction.
"We need to take a look at where we have been and how we got here," A.W. Hite, Sr., of Concord, said. He began with a history of rails in Virginia from 1895 through 1987 when the passenger and freight rails through Bracey, La Crosse and other were no longer in service.
"I think we need this restoration of service because we could really use it for the local economy," Hite said. "I think it will help both North Carolina and the state of Virginia."
"I want to commend those who are having the hearing, but I do have some questions," Rev. Waverly Yeates said. He asked when and how the "railroad route" was acquired. Yeates said he was concerned about property owners who may become landlocked due to the rail.
Page said officials are looking into the right of ways and that in many portions although the tracks are not there the right of way or easement is still in effect.
"I didn't see a railroad station in Alberta," Al Cotter said. "I don't know about the rest of you guys but I don't mind building a new railroad track to go from Richmond to Raleigh or anywhere else in the work but I would like to be able to get on it once in a while. Frankly, the ridership thing does bother me. Who is actually going to ride this train? Who is going to ride it everyday? I was told two million riders but I don't see someone living in either place and traveling to the other to get to work everyday.
"I would love to ride the train and travel to Washington, D.C. but I am only going to do that every two or three years and that is not going to pay for it. Speaking of paying for it...it gives you about 20 years before you will break even...I don't see a payback. Is my federal tax dollar going to be wasted on another boondoggle? Who the (explicative) is going to use this thing? When are they going to use it and how come we can't have a train track here so that we can use it?"
Fred Short, of Alberta, who brought a railroad tie with him, said he wanted a station in Alberta.
"My first concern is with the train coming through is how am I going to get out of town," Margaret Peterson, of Alberta, said. "How are we going to get out of town without going miles out of the way? Please look into that."
Officials presented two presentations about the process that the SEHR has gone through over the last couple of years and what the next steps are.
Also present for the meeting were state Senator Frank Ruff (R-15th), Mecklenburg County Board of Supervisor and La Crosse resident and business owner Dan Tanner, La Crosse Mayor Will Woodall, Mecklenburg County Zoning Administrator Robert Hendrick, and Charlette T. Woolridge of Alberta.
Tanner urged citizens to write to elected officials expressing support for the Rail and for a stop to be located in La Crosse.
While at least 200 people turned out for the public hearing only seven people spoke publicly. Drake said several completed surveys and some individuals did not want to speak publicly so their statements were recorded privately for the record.
The SEHSR project proposes to implement approximately 162 miles of high-speed rail as part of an overall plan to extend high-speed passenger rail service from the Northeast Corridor (Boston to Washington, D.C.) southward through Virginia to Charlotte, N.C.
The Richmond to Raleigh portion includes nearly 100 new bridges/overpasses that, when combined with existing bridges/overpasses, will create a fully grade-separated system to ensure the safety of passengers and train crews, motorists and the surrounding community.
Southeast High Speed Rail service would provide business and leisure travelers with an alternate transportation option for trips between 100-500 miles. The planned service would have top speeds of 110 miles per hour with targeted average speeds of 85-87 mph.
The public has until Aug. 30 to make comments about the project. Visit www.sehsr.org to make a comment, view the maps, contact officials via phone, e-mail officials or complete a survey.