Federal grant for VA high-speed rail to Washington

The Federal Railroad Administration is awarding $45.4 million to Virginia to start developing high-speed passenger rail service between Richmond and Washington.

Senators Jim Webb and Mark Warner announced the grant Monday.  They say the money will allow the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transit to complete preliminary engineering and an environmental-impact study.

The project ultimately would provide train service that would take passengers between the two metropolitan areas in about 90 minutes.

The route is part of the federally designated Southeast High Speed Rail corridor between Washington and Charlotte, North Carolina.  The project is part of an overall plan to extend high-speed passenger rail from Boston-to-Washington Northeast Corridor southward through Virginia into Charlotte.