In effort to remove 70,000 trucks off Washington-area roads and improve traffic for commuters and residents, CSX wants to carry double-stacked cars through the DC area, according to the Washington Examiner.

The project would cost millions to raise roofts on bridges and lower some railroad tracks across the mid-Atlantic. As of now, Governors in Maryland and Virginia are for the project. This in addition to adding high-speed rail to the area could drastically transform transportation in Virginia in a way that would make the area more appealing to new businesses, stimulate the local economy and increase property values.

"A proposal to expand the amount of freight chugging through the District is gaining steam, offering a promise of clearing tractor-trailers off the region's congested highways and improving commuter train service.

It also would mean rebuilding some railroad bridges around the region, including the Virginia Avenue tunnel just south of the Capitol.

CSX is proposing an $842 million plan to raise roofs on bridges and lower some railroad tracks across the mid-Atlantic so that it could carry double-stacked cargo containers on its trains.

Locally, that would mean millions of dollars in construction work. The Washington region has some of the worst railroad bottlenecks along the East Coast, including the Virginia Avenue tunnel.

Raising the roof of that tunnel alone would cost an estimated $140 million. The 12 other local projects proposed, including replacing the bridge on Deer Park Drive in Montgomery County's historic Washington Grove, would add millions more.

The freight company would pay about $393 million of the National Gateway initiative, while state and federal dollars would pay the rest. The project is seeking stimulus dollars for some of the costs.

Governors in Maryland, Virginia and other states already have backed the plan. It also has won support from the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board, a key regional group of local officials and planners.

'We support the project even though it wouldn't benefit the District,' said District Department of Transportation spokesman John Lisle. 'We recognize there are regional and national benefits from it.'

The plan would add traffic, congestion and headaches during construction, but local officials are hoping it could mean fewer trucks on the roads, plus better commuter and passenger train service.

Officials estimate the proposal could shift 70,000 trucks off Washington-area roads as one train can carry the load of more than 280 trucks, according to CSX. The trains are also more fuel-efficient per pound, they say, getting some 436 miles to the gallon for each ton of cargo"

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