November's bombshell news about the partnership between Virgin and Brightline has now yielded ambitious plans for private investment in intercity rail service.
"A passenger railroad backed by Richard Branson’s Virgin Group named the 250-mile Atlanta to Charlotte route as a potential expansion opportunity in its IPO filing," reports Jessica Saunders.
Also included in the IPO for Virgin Trains USA LLCare plans for several other expansion corridors. "These cities “possess what we believe are key attributes for a successful intercity rail network using existing infrastructure," according to the words of the IPO.
The rail line formerly known as Brightline had already announced planned expansions between Orlando and Tampa, as well as Las Vegas and Victorville. Other expansions listed in the IPO are Houston to Dallas, Atlanta to Charlotte, Chicago to St. Louis, Los Angeles to San Diego, Vancouver to Seattle to Portland, San Antonio to Austin to Dallas, Houston to San Antonio to Dallas, and Washington, D.C. to New York to Boston.
The article by Saunders includes more insight into the business case for intercity rail made by the IPO.
FULL STORY: Richard Branson-backed passenger rail venture names Atlanta-Charlotte route in IPO proposal
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UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research