(rshsdepot) Bristol, VA

["Bernie Wagenblast" <brwagenblast_@_home.com>]

Union Depot: destination and journey


    There's been a lot of talk in Bristol in recent years about
restoring the city's landmark Union Depot to its original glory _
not for history's sake alone, but for the future's as well.
    Naturally, officials hope the renovation project will serve
as a catalyst for the revitalization of downtown Bristol. And
they want the train station to be ready for the day when
passenger rail service returns to Bristol _ and to serve as a
functioning train station again.
    Both are worthy goals. But it's beginning to look as if
there's yet another good reason to keep the Union Depot project
on track: A renovated train station might itself help to bring
passenger rail back to Bristol.
    No, this isn't one of those ``build it and they will come''
scenarios. Passenger rail service is not going to magically
appear in Bristol just because we have a restored train station
to accommodate it. On the other hand, it's looking as if the
Bristol Trainstation Foundation's plans alone are generating some
excitement about passenger rail _ and among some of the right
people, too.
    ``I can almost hear the train whistles blow,'' said Charles
D. Nottingham, commissioner of the Virginia Department of
Transportation. ``I wish I could say I took the train here, but
you all know that's not really feasible. Hopefully, one day it
will be, and that's what makes this project so exciting.''
    Nottingham's remarks came Wednesday as he presented
foundation officials with $500,000 in federal funds, raising
total funding for the train station project to $1.3 million.
VDOT's commissioner said a well-detailed application and the goal
of making Union Depot a working passenger station again made the
grant easy for VDOT to approve.
    And we can hope it adds that much more momentum for the
proposed passenger rail route from Bristol to Richmond and
Washington, D.C.
    It's hard to argue with the idea. It would be a boon for
tourists and tourism in the area, and might even provide a
worthwhile alternative for some business travelers. (If you doubt
that, try booking a flight from Tri-Cities Regional Aiport to
Richmond sometime.) And with growing concerns about highway
congestion and fuel prices, the TransDominion Express could take
some pressure off both highways and travelers' pocketbooks.
    But just because something's a good idea doesn't mean
legislators will agree to pay for it. After years of trying,
state Sen. William Wampler Jr., R-Bristol, managed to include
about $10 million in the state budget to help clear the way for
the rail service. But this year, the funding fell victim to the
impasse between the House and Senate over keeping Gov. Jim
Gilmore's car-tax phaseout on schedule. The second year of the
two-year budget went unamended, and the passenger rail money _
which wasn't included in the second year _ was among the losers.
    The General Assembly may face many of the same problems this
year, thanks to lagging revenues and an economic slowdown. And a
number of key officials, including Gilmore, have said a
high-speed rail connection between Washington and Richmond is a
more immediate priority. Winning the funding needed to make
passenger rail service a reality will take more than logic; it
will require capturing the imaginations of Virginians and those
elected to represent them.
    Doing that will take more than a single railroad station. But
the efforts to restore Union Depot are clearly attracting not
only notice, but also enthusiasm.
    ``Once you see this particular station renovated, it will be
time for passenger rail service to begin,'' Wampler said
Wednesday.
    All aboard?

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