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Yesterday, the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) announced it will delay the release of the Statewide Rail Resource Allocation Plan in light of the worsening economic outlook.

The commonwealth's forecasting staff currently is reviewing and revising the plan to reflect recommendations recently made by the governor's Advisory Council on Revenue Estimates.

"There is great uncertainty at this time in the revenue forecasting process at the national ad state level," said DRPT Director Matthew Tucker in a prepared statement. "Until this work is complete, it would not be prudent on our part to recommend projects with assumed funding levels to the governor, general assembly and the public that ay not be achievable."

The plan will serve as the funding and schedule blueprint for passenger- and freight-rail projects in the coming years. Passenger-rail projects outlined in the draft plan included the Urban Crescent Express, which would expand passenger-rail service in the I-95 and I-64 corridors and the TransDominion Express, which would expand passenger-rail service from Washington, D.C., to Bristol, Roanoke and Richmond.

Freight-rail projects called for in the draft plan include CSX Transportation's National Gateway Corridor, which would parallel Interstate 95 through Virginia, and Norfolk Southern Corp.'s Crescent Corridor along I-81, Heartland Corridor along U.S. Route 460 and Coal Corridor along Route 460.