According to InsideNova.com federal stimulus money might help advance railroad services in NOVA, and pave way for the Virginia Railroad Express.

Commuters are anxious for the express trains, which could get them to work faster (and with less of a headache) than driving. Homeowners can jump on the bandwagon of supporting this project because in the long run it will do wonders in improving quality of living and increasing property values.

"Virginia will apply for $72 million in federal stimulus money this month to build a third set of rails between Prince William and Stafford counties.

The state is expected to file for the money Aug. 24, and if approved, it will go to fund a third set of train tracks between Powell’s Creek in Dumfries and the Widewater area of Stafford County.

The project is part of the state’s comprehensive vision to bring high-speed rail to the Northern Virginia from Petersburg, and in part will pave the way for Virginia Railway Express to start running express trains on their Fredericksburg line.

The express trains will be 10 cars long and originate during the mornings in Fredericksburg and from Washington in the evenings. The trains would run during peak travel times and stop at only two stations along the route before reaching the end of the line, said VRE spokesman Mark Roeber.

'Those trains would take as much as one lane’s worth of traffic off the highway in one fell swoop, and anyone who boarded the express service would be guaranteed to beat any car on the road and get to work faster,' said Roeber.

The trains would travel at speeds of 90 mph, which is considered the standard for high-speed rail in the U.S. But officials are working to increase the speeds to 110 mph while negotiating with the company, which currently owns the tracks, CSX."

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