OREANDA-NEWS. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and other agencies said today they signed off on environmental approval of a proposed 162-mile high speed passenger rail line from Richmond, Virginia, to Raleigh, North Carolina, that would also carry freight trains.

The project is one part of a larger system that would stretch from Washington, DC, through Richmond and Raleigh to Charlotte, North Carolina, and eventually to Atlanta, and then on to Florida and other southeastern locations. The maximum operating speed for the Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor is proposed at 110 miles an hour, but slower in some areas because curves cannot be sufficiently straightened.

"Constructing the project will likely increase the number of intermodal or freight trains in the area," the environmental impact statement for the 162-mile segment says. "However, from an air quality perspective, these additional trains would result in a regional efficiency improvement as a result of freight providers switching from long-haul trucking to intermodal and freight rail (which has lower emissions than long haul trucks)."

There is existing freight service between Richmond and Petersburg, Virginia, but none between Petersburg and Raleigh, the document says.

FRA, the US Department of Transportation and the two states gave the green light to the project, the funding for which has not been secured. The plan still needs a number of environmental permits from states and the US Coast Guard.

The alternative chosen for the environmental study uses 60pc existing rail alignment. The agencies anticipate that states will pursue federal funding and public-private partnerships. A proposal for trains running 185-200mph was rejected because such lines cannot be shared with freight trains and would be too costly.