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RESOLUTION OF SUPPORT FOR A MARKET STUDY OF ENHANCED • PASSENGER RAIL IN THE U.S. 29 "PIEDMONT" CORRIDOR WHEREAS a growing population and a burgeoning commercial explosion have helped to expand Virginia's prosperous economy, but they have also helped to create steadily worsening problems of congestion and accessibility in its major transportation corridors, and WHEREAS among Virginia's major transportation corridors, U. S. 29 North, or the "Piedmont Corridor," represents a vital and heavily used north -south travel route between Washington, DC and Lynchburg that serves many counties and cities in the Piedmont region of the Commonwealth, and WHEREAS the counties of Albemarle, Greene, Madison, Orange, Culpeper, Nelson, Amherst, Fauquier and Prince William and the cities of Lynchburg and Charlottesville have a vital interest in providing their citizens with an efficient and affordable transportation alternative to access the population and commercial centers of Northern Virginia, the District of Columbia and the Northeast, and WHEREAS enhanced passenger rail service in the Piedmont Corridor could be an important part of the solution to the problems of congestion, safety and environmental • stresses caused by the fast increasing population in the areas adjacent to U.S. 29 North, I- 66 and I-95, and WHEREAS the economies of the cities and counties of the Piedmont Corridor would greatly benefit from greater accessibility by rail that could accommodate tourists, students, business persons and others who travel on U.S. 29 to and from Northern Virginia and the District of Columbia, and WHEREAS communities along the corridor between Lynchburg and Washington, DC make heavy use of the services provided by Amtrak, the limited frequency and capacity of these trains do not adequately meet the needs of most travelers who could use this passenger rail alternative. With 20 weekly Amtrak trains, ridership is higher per scheduled train at Charlottesville's Main Street Station than that at either the Richmond or Newport News stations, and WHEREAS with expanded passenger rail services we believe that substantial numbers of travelers would use these services, reducing the demands placed on overcrowded highways and fuel consumption, while helping to reduce the emissions that contribute to global warming, and WHEREAS the potential ridership and the accompanying economic and environmental benefits of enhanced passenger rail service in the Piedmont Corridor between Lynchburg •