Warren County looks at North Corridor Trolley link between Front Royal and Middletown

At a Tuesday, December 13 work session the Warren County Board of Supervisors discussed establishment of a Trolley service that would link to the Town of Front Royal’s existing Trolley service loop.  County Administrator Doug Stanley later explained the proposed County service would be independent of, but link up with the Town Trolley at the new Health & Human Services Complex at the old middle school building on 15^th Street.

The plan would expand public transportation into, and perhaps beyond the County’s North Commercial Corridor.  Stanley noted the Town Trolley currently averages about 35 riders daily, and estimated a route linking Town citizens to shopping destinations in the Corridor and beyond could double that ridership.

Front Royal’s Trolley may soon be asked to link to a County Trolley poised to transport Town residents to County shopping destinations and beyond, potentially as far as LFCC in Middletown.

The idea of Trolley service into the route 340/522 Corridor was broached earlier this year by the RSW Regional Jail Authority.  Currently there is no public transportation available for inmates either being released from the facility’s somewhat remote location several miles north of the County’s two big-box-anchored shopping malls, or for Work-Release inmates, many of whom are forced to walk those miles to jobs in those shopping centers or other locations distant from the jail.  Stanley also serves as Warren County’s representative on the RSW Jail Authority.

Stanley told the Supervisors that the RSW Jail Authority had pledged $20,000 per year for the extension of public transportation to the Jail.  He added that Crooked Run Center representative Ed Murphy and the EDA had each pledged $2,500. – “So, we have $25,000 of the $50,000 we need,” Stanley told the Board of funding possibilities.

An inquiry to the Front Royal Finance Department indicated that the Town pays $39,104 annually for its Trolley service.  The current Town fare is 50 cents.  Stanley suggested a fare of $1.00 for the North Corridor circuit originating on 15^th Street in Town.

The County Administrator cited two other potential northside contributors who had expressed an interest in public transportation extended from the Town of Front Royal.  One is the Holiday Inn at Blue Ridge Shadows, which was interested as a means for some of its staff to get to and from work.  The other is waaay northside – Lord Fairfax Community College in Middletown, which has a significant student population from Warren County.  Stanley said there was the potential of the Middletown Council throwing in the needed balance of $25,000 if a number of trips to the college over the course of the day could be guaranteed.

With an out-of-county destination on the table, Fork District Supervisor Archie Fox suggested exploring the potential of creating a loop that would bring the County Trolley back from Middletown by way of Route 11 through Strasburg and back by way of Route 55 (Strasburg Road) to the northside Front Royal link.

Fox also suggested adding discussion of a County Trolley service to the next County-Front Royal Liaison Committee meeting.