Virginia Ports say state-backed rail projects beneficial

Virginia Ports say state-backed rail projects beneficial    Officials from the Virginia Ports Authority said Monday that a series of rail projects recommended by the state’s Rail Advisory Board will help ensure port growth in the coming decade.
   The advisory board recommended state funding of $45.7 million for six regional rail projects.
   “The port is only as good as its connections to its markets and customers,” said J.J. Keever, deputy executive director of the Virginia Port Authority. “The strength of our existing rail service is a real selling point for our port. When these projects are looked at as a whole there are some common goals: to make the flow of goods more efficient, to reduce truck traffic on the Commonwealth’s roads and to strengthen the port,s competitive position on the East Coast.”
   The projects include funding for parts of the larger Heartland Corridor project improvement the rail corridor between Virginia port terminals and the Midwest, as well as the purchase of the Commonwealth Railway Line, the Maersk terminal rail yard extension, the Suffolk connection from CSX track to the Commonwealth Railway, height clearances for the Portsmouth subdivision, and improvements to the Crewe rail yard in Suffolk.