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<br />passengers; for example, Amtrak described the proposed schedule as offering "...a good
<br />service pattern for business travel to Washington - a first for the region.", and
<br />
<br /> WHEREAS
<br />, Central Virginians rallied around the Amtrak proposal, providing
<br />broad-based public input to the
<br />Department of Rail and Public Transportation to demonstrate that current Amtrak service
<br />is not currently meeting the region’s needs, particularly for business and non-business
<br />travel to Washington, D.C., and
<br />
<br /> WHEREAS
<br />, the City of Charlottesville joined twenty-two political subdivisions
<br />in the US29 corridor that executed a resolution of support for the proposed Lynchburg-
<br />DC service, and
<br />
<br /> WHEREAS
<br />, Governor Timothy M. Kaine has secured the necessary agreements
<br />with the host railroads, Amtrak and
<br />Virginia Railway Express, and the Commonwealth Transportation Board has
<br />appropriated the funds to operate Lynchburg-DC intercity passenger service for three
<br />years as a Demonstration Project, and
<br />
<br /> WHEREAS
<br />, VDRPT recently released the approved schedule for the Lynchburg-
<br />DC train, but this schedule is not
<br />useful for the business traveler or for a day trip to Washington, D.C., having a 7:43 a.m.
<br />departure from Lynchburg and 11:20 a.m. arrival in Washington, and
<br />
<br /> WHEREAS
<br />, according to DRPT, “…the actual schedule for the new trains was
<br />developed based on the available
<br />time slots for new trains to be added in each corridor and compatibility with Amtrak
<br />Northeast Corridor service schedules, as defined in the agreements executed with the
<br />applicable host railroads and Amtrak.” , and
<br />
<br /> WHEREAS
<br />, with the approved schedule, the Lynchburg-DC train will add to the
<br />rail options available for
<br />recreational travelers and others making extended stays, but will perpetuate the existing
<br />situation wherein passenger rail is of limited utility to the business, professional,
<br />academic, government and defense-related sectors of the Charlottesville and Central
<br />Virginia region, and will not serve the citizens of the US29 corridor who would choose
<br />the train for a day-trip to Washington, D.C. if an early morning arrival were available,
<br />and
<br />
<br /> WHEREAS
<br />, in order to demonstrate success and to justify future investments in
<br />the corridor, the ridership for the Lynchburg-DC train must materialize,
<br />
<br /> NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED
<br />, that the Charlottesville City Council
<br />urges VDRPT to closely monitor ridership performance of the Lynchburg-DC train ,
<br />providing origin and destination figures during the first year to determine if it is meeting
<br />expectations, as well as support the conduct of a comprehensive, valid market study to
<br />determine if a peak hour schedule, such as the schedule originally published by Amtrak,
<br />would result in greater use of the service, as well as generate additional revenue, and
<br />
<br /> BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED
<br />, that the Charlottesville City Council urges
<br />Governor Kaine, Secretary Homer and the VDRPT to do everything within the state of
<br />Virginia’s legal power and authority to negotiate additional, peak hour slots in Northern
<br />Virginia, including an appeal with the Surface Transportation Board, if necessary, to
<br />mediate additional access for this and future trains serving the US29 corridor.
<br />
<br />ORDINANCE
<br />i. : “AN ORDINANCE AMENDING AND REORDAINING
<br /> SECTION 15-133 OF ARTICLE V OF CHAPTER 15 (MOTOR VEHICLES)
<br /> RELATING TO PARKING SPACES RESERVED FOR PERSONS WITH
<br />nd
<br /> DISABILITIES” (2reading)
<br />
<br />ORDINANCE
<br />j. : “AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE
<br /> CONVEYANCE OF CITY-OWNED PROPERTY (JEFFERSON PARK AVENUE
<br /> RIGHT OF WAY AT THE EMMET STREET INTERSECTION) TO TENTH AND
<br />
<br />
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