Most people agree that creating a sustainable future means relying less upon cars and trucks and more upon trains. We can disagree on how we reach that future, but there is little dispute that passenger trains can carry people more energy efficiently than cars, and freight trains can move goods long distance more energy efficiently than trucks.
Now comes Norfolk Southern Corp., which wants to expand existing railroad tracks through Warren county. The company, reports the NV Daily, wants to double a stretch of track so two trains can pass at the same time. To build a parallel track, the railroad needs to acquire a strip of land about 20 feet on average for a length of 15 miles.
Here’s the problem: The land would include a 1.5-mile section between Ashby Station Road and Fairground Road in a conservation easement held by the Virginia Outdoors Foundation. And some people have a problem with that.
A representative from Scenic 340, which aims to preserve the rural character of U.S. 340, expressed opposition to the expansion during the county Board of Supervisors meeting last week. “To take land under easement must be an absolute last resort,” said Bentonville resident Jim Guy. “While we support the railroad’s efforts to remove traffic on the roads, we do not support this application.”
Do you ever get the feeling that the requirements of contemporary civilization are getting so complex and that so many groups and institutions have conflicting interests that it may be impossible to get anything done?