| Learning
the ABCs of Rail |
| The process of bringing rail to Reston, Herndon, Dulles
and beyond is filled with processes that are about as complicated
as landing a man on the moon. |
| And maybe just as improbable: It will happen, but not after
great effort. |
| The most difficult thing about rail is understanding the
language, something I am very slowing learning to grasp. For
instance, a hearing this week at the CIT talked about the
LPA and the DEIS. |
| I think most of us know that the CIT is the Center for Innovative
Technology located in Herndon along the Dulles Toll Road (or
the DTR). The CIT is the upside-down pyramid building. |
| I finally leaned that the DEIS is the Draft Environmental
Impact Statement. And here I always thought it meant the Dulles
Environmental Impact Study. Foolish me. I'm still trying to
figure out what the LPA is. |
| But wait, there's more. According to a report by Patty Nicoson,
executive director of the DCRA (that's the Dulles Corridor
Rail Association), the BRT œdiffers from the enhanced express
bus service in that it uses buses running the DAAR.” |
| Now the BRT we might have heard of. It's the Bus Rapid Transit
program, which in itself (bus and rapid) is a contradiction
in terms. And the DAAR? That's the Dulles Airport Access Road.
You know that road: That's the one you can never get off when
you get on it. There is one nice thing that the DAAR has over
the DTR, however: no tolls. |
| Of course, there's the BRT1, the BRT2, and the BRT3. Go
figure. |
| So far there is bus service from the Herndon-Monroe parking
garage in Herndon (the HMPG) and the DNTC, or the Dulles North
Transit Center in Loudoun County. |
| Learning more about our alphabet we find that the DCNASM
projects 3 to 5 million visitors a year when it opens in late
2003. That's an easy one: The DCNASM is the Dulles Center
of the National Air and Space Museum. |
| Let's move on. According to Ms. Nicoson, the rail to DIA
(that's Dulles International Airport) will be funded this
way: The federal government will pay for about half of the
project, 24.4 percent will come from tolls collected on the
DTR (aren't we lucky!), 16.1 percent will come from a commercial
tax assessment district, Loudoun County will pay about 4.8
percent collected from BPOL and the MWAA share of 4.1 percent
will come from airport revenues. |
| BPOL? I know that one: It's the Business and Professional
Occupational License tax, which is tax money paid by business
owners, large and small, from their gross (not net) receipts.
That's one of those great taxes that even if you lose money
in your business or invest in R&D (research and development)
you still owe BPOL taxes. |
| Cool, eh? |
| And the MWAA? I think, but I'm not sure, it's the Metro
Washington Airport Authority. |
| Loudoun County stands to gain much by rail. There will be
rail stops built along the GW (Greenway) to accommodate those
businesses that moved far from DC to be in LC (Loudoun County),
businesses such as MCI, AOL, and WorldCom. OK, forget about
WorldCom. |
| I'm still trying to find out what LPA stands for. Any guesses? |
| And that's Our Town this week |
