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Cost is estimated at $10 million a mile for light rail and $20 million for heavy rail, or the same type used for Metro track, she said.
• Funding would come largely from existing sources. For example, she said, wasted war and Pentagon dollars could instead go toward rail construction. Identifying waste in the Pentagon is another key Parker platform; it begins with establishment of an auditable accounting system and includes prohibition against military noncompetitive and no-bid contracts, she said.
• Minimizes use of eminent domain by relying instead on existing government right-ofways.
• Calls for further funding to be provided at the federal level by requiring an increase of subsidies for rail to equal what’s now provided for roads.
“The federal subsidy we do get for building rail is much lower than for building roads,” Parker said. “So what happens is Virginia, like all states, likes to get the most bang for the buck” and therefore, directs transportation dollars into roads rather than rails.
“There’s a lot of support for building rail,” she continued. “A lot of communities are trying to revitalize their downtown areas ... and rail could help do that. It’s the politicians that need to be sold for building rail.”
And Parker’s answer to that is simple: “Send me,” she said.
“Send me to Washington. It’s not hard for me to do.”
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