§ 33.2-284 General powers of the Department of Rail and Public Transportation
The Department of Rail and Public Transportation has the following general powers:
1. To accept grants from the United States government and agencies and instrumentalities thereof and any other source. To these ends, the Department of Rail and Public Transportation has the power to comply with such conditions and execute such agreements as may be necessary, convenient or desirable;
2. To make and enter into all contracts and agreements necessary or incidental to the performance of its duties and the execution of its powers under this chapter, including contracts with the United States government, other states, agencies and governmental subdivisions of Virginia, and other appropriate public and private entities;
3. To assist other appropriate entities, public or private, in the implementation and improvement of passenger and freight rail, transportation demand management, ridesharing, and public transportation services and the retention of rail corridors for public purposes;
4. To represent and promote the Commonwealth’s interests in passenger and freight rail, transportation demand management, ridesharing, and public transportation; and
5. To acquire and hold title to the land necessary to construct railway lines in order to reduce traffic congestion on highways and shift traffic to rail transportation and acquire by any means whatsoever, lease, improve, and construct railway lines, passenger and freight rail, transportation demand management, ridesharing, and public transportation facilities, and passenger and freight rail, transportation demand management, ridesharing, and public transportation equipment determined to be for the common good of the Commonwealth or a region of the Commonwealth and assist other appropriate entities in the implementation and improvement of passenger and freight rail, transportation demand management, ridesharing, and public transportation services and the retention of rail corridors for public purposes.
History
This law was first created in 1992. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 167 of that year’s edition of “Acts of Assembly,” the annual state publication listing all changes made to the Code of Virginia in that year. Unfortunately, the 1992 “Acts” aren’t available online. It has been modified 3 times. Those modifications are cataloged by “The Acts of Assembly,” a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly’s website will be linked accordingly. Those modifications are as follows: in 2002, chapter 355; in 2013, chapter 211; in 2014, chapter 805.
1992, c. 167, § 33.1-391.4; 2002, c. 355; 2013, c. 211; 2014, c. 805.