Trash driving new railroad, claims Davis
New Kent Board of Supervisors members apparently have no interest in supporting construction of a new railroad line across the county.
During their Monday work session, board members declined to sign a resolution in support of exploring the addition of new freight rail lines in the county. The resolution also called for the board to support an analysis of more freight rail service as part of a statewide rail plan update under development by the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, and support seeking federal/state money to pay for studies to justify building new rail lines.
And while officials in other localities are praising a proposed new railroad line as a boon to the region’s economy, one New Kent supervisor is suggesting there may be more to the proposal than is being revealed to the public.
“To me, there’s some other thing going on that hasn’t been said,” New Kent supervisors’ chairman Ray Davis said. “I think there’s only one thing that would be worth doing it, and that’s trash.
The Chronicle first broke news of the proposed rail line in its Dec. 13 edition. The line would stretch from Doswell in Hanover County to Toano in James City County, connecting with existing lines and thus bypassing congested rail traffic in Richmond.
And although an exact route has yet to be determined, local officials speculate the line would cross eastern New Kent in the area along Route 33 where significant land parcels are zoned for industrial use.
Spearheading the proposal is a Purina-owned plant that produces cat litter in neighboring King William County. New Kent county administrator Rodney Hathaway said Purina authored the resolution, adopted earlier by King William’s supervisors.
In leading opposition to the resolution, Davis said, “I don’t want to give credence to something that makes no sense financially,” adding that hauling cat litter alone “is not worth it.”
Garbage disposal, meanwhile, has become profitable business in the region with landfills located in Charles City, King & Queen, and Gloucester counties.
Hathaway told supervisors that a new rail line “is just a concept right now.” No exact route has been determined, and all that is in the works for now is generating support for conducting a feasibility study, he said.
But the Chronicle’s story in December generated a call from Del. Chris Peace, who represents New Kent, King William, and Hanover in the General Assembly. Peace said the rail line could become part of a larger infrastructure project involving commerce by rail, truck, and over water. Multiple localities and businesses are expected to be involved, he said, while also mentioning trash hauling and logging.
An earlier study has been conducted on feasibility of building a barge port on the Pamunkey River at the Route 33 industrial site in eastern New Kent. The study, which examined importing only, determined a port would not be economically viable based on importing alone. Both importing and exporting of goods and materials must take place for the numbers to work, Hathaway said.
Hathaway told supervisors a barge port in New Kent has drawn interest from state agencies since the study revealed tractor/trailer traffic on Interstate 64 in the Hampton Roads area could be reduced as much as 47 percent. Plans to expand the Panama Canal could further heighten interest since the canal project would increase port traffic in and out of Hampton Roads, he added.
“To me, this is nothing but a sham,” said Davis after hearing Hathaway’s report.
Newport News, where the rail line ends, does not have a port to handle shipping containers, thus the connecting line through New Kent is not economically feasible for that reason, he said. The Purina plant could build its own spur connecting with the existing Norfolk Southern line that runs from West Point to Richmond, he added.
Afterward, Davis said he will not support the resolution as long as he is board chairman, and there are no plans to reconsider the resolution unless a board member brings up the matter.