33.1-391.5 - Responsibilities of Department.
§ 33.1-391.5. Responsibilities of Department.
The Department shall have the following responsibilities:
1. Determine present and future needs for, and economic feasibility ofproviding, public transportation, transportation demand management, andridesharing facilities and services and the retention, improvement, andaddition of passenger and freight rail transportation in the Commonwealth;
2. Formulate and implement plans and programs for the establishment,improvement, development and coordination of public transportation,transportation demand management, and ridesharing facilities and services,and the retention and improvement of passenger and freight railtransportation services and corridors in the Commonwealth, and coordinatetransportation demand management and innovative technological transportationinitiatives with the Department of Transportation;
3. Coordinate with the Department of Transportation in the conduct ofresearch, policy analysis, and planning for the rail and publictransportation modes as may be appropriate to ensure the provision ofeffective, safe, and efficient public transportation and passenger andfreight rail services in the Commonwealth;
4. Develop uniform financial and operating data on and criteria forevaluating all public transportation activities in the Commonwealth, developspecific methodologies for the collection of such data by public transitoperators, regularly and systematically verify such data by means offinancial audits and periodic field reviews of operating data collectionmethodologies, and develop such other information as may be required toevaluate the performance and improve the economy or efficiency of publictransit or passenger and freight rail operations, transportation demandmanagement programs, and ridesharing in the Commonwealth;
5. Compile and maintain an up-to-date inventory of all abandoned railroadcorridors in the Commonwealth abandoned after January 1, 1970;
6. Provide training and other technical support services to transportationoperators and ridesharing coordinators as may be appropriate to improvepublic transportation, ridesharing, and passenger and freight rail services;
7. Maintain liaison with state, local, district and federal agencies or otherentities, private and public, having responsibilities for passenger andfreight rail, transportation demand management, ridesharing, and publictransportation programs;
8. Receive, administer and allocate all planning, operating, capital, and anyother grant programs from the Federal Transit Administration, the FederalRailroad Administration, the Federal Highway Administration, and otheragencies of the United States government for public transportation, passengerand freight rail transportation, transportation demand management, andridesharing purposes with approval of the Board and to comply with allconditions attendant thereto;
9. Administer all state grants for public transportation, railtransportation, ridesharing, and transportation demand management purposeswith approval of the Board;
10. Promote the use of public transportation, transportation demandmanagement, ridesharing, and passenger and freight rail services to improvethe mobility of Virginia's citizens and the transportation of goods;
11. Represent the Commonwealth on local, regional, and national agencies,industry associations, committees, task forces, and other entities, publicand private, having responsibility for passenger and freight rail,transportation demand management, ridesharing, and public transportation;
12. Represent the Commonwealth's interests in passenger and freight rail,transportation demand management, ridesharing, and public transportation andcoordinate with the Department of Transportation in the planning, location,design, construction, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, purchase, andrehabilitation of facilities and services that affect or are used bypassenger and freight rail, transportation demand management, ridesharing, orpublic transportation;
13. Coordinate with the State Corporation Commission on all matters dealingwith rail safety inspections and rail regulations which fall within itspurview;
14. Prepare and review state legislation and Commonwealth recommendations onfederal legislation and regulations as directed by the Secretary ofTransportation;
15. Promote public transportation, ridesharing, and passenger and freightrail safety; and
16. Ensure the safety of rail fixed guideway transit systems within theCommonwealth and carry out state safety and security oversightresponsibilities for rail fixed guideway transit systems as required by theFederal Transit Administration and federal law. For any rail fixed guidewaytransit system operated within the Commonwealth pursuant to an interstatecompact, the Department shall perform its oversight responsibilities inaccordance with the interstate compact governing the operation of such systemand any applicable federal law.
(1992, c. 167; 2002, c. 355; 2007, c. 435; 2009, c. 146.)