HDR Selected for D.C. to Richmond Southeast HSR Environmental Impact Statement

To improve passenger rail service and alleviate congestion between Washington, D.C., and Richmond, the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation has selected HDR to provide a Tier II Environmental Impact Statement for proposed high-speed rail.

HDR will complete preliminary engineering and Tier II environmental review for the project corridor, which runs generally parallel to I-95 between Arlington, Virginia, and the Richmond area. The project is funded through a $55 million cooperative agreement between the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation and Federal Railroad Administration.

To accommodate rail service with speeds up to 90 mph along the corridor, the project will consider a series of improvement projects, including:

• Corridor-wide track and signal upgrades to achieve higher operating speeds, including corridor curve realignments, high-speed crossovers and grade crossing improvements
• Track improvements and additional tracks in multiple sections of the existing tracks
• Station and platform upgrades, including new platform design

HDR services include passenger service development planning, stakeholder involvement, environmental analysis, ridership and revenue estimating and both conceptual and preliminary engineering. Estimated completion time is 36 months.