Georgia Rail Passenger Program
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This article or section contains information about a proposed, planned, or expected public transportation infrastructure in the United States. It may contain information of a speculative nature and the content may change dramatically as the construction and/or completion of the infrastructure approaches, and more information becomes available. |
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The Georgia Rail Passenger Program (GRPP) is a set of plans, as yet unbuilt, for intercity and commuter rail in the U.S. State of Georgia.
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[edit] Commuter Routes
[edit] Athens to Atlanta ("Brain Train")
The Athens to Atlanta route was first identified in 1999 as one of the first priority routes in the GRPP. It would follow the CSX Abbeville Subdivision, terminating at the Athens Multi-Modal Transportation Center and the proposed Atlanta Multi-Modal Passenger Terminal. The Athens Multi-Modal Center was designed to accommodate a rail platform to allow connections with Athens Transit.
As proposed, the Brain Train would stop at 12 locations[1] - Athens, Bogart, Winder, Cedars Road, Lawrenceville, Reagan Parkway, Lilburn, Northlake, Tucker, Emory University, Atlantic Station and the Atlanta Multi Modal Passenger Terminal. The "Brain Train" moniker was given to the project because the route will also connect 9 of Georgia's colleges and universities including Georgia Tech, Emory University, Georgia Gwinnett College, the University of Georgia, and others. Furthermore, the commuter rail will link the Centers for Disease Control, the new Paul D. Coverdell Center for Biomedical and Health Sciences, as well as the emerging BioScience Corridor along Georgia 316.
The route is estimated to divert 1.8 million drivers from the highways in 2025.[1] As many as 8,000 individuals or more could conceivably use the system every day, and it could remove 5,300 cars daily from already overtaxed roadways during peak travel times. Also, previous studies have indicated that commuter rail is 25 times safer than driving.
The Georgia Brain Train Group[2] is a non-profit organization with the goal to educate the general public about the opportunities surrounding commuter rail. The group is made of community activists, business leaders, and professionals from every county and city along the proposed route. The group is lead by self described entrepreneur, re-developer, and former georgia state representative Emory Morseberger of the Morsebeger Group[3]. Morseberger projects have previously included the revitalization of downtown Lawrenceville to great success [2].
As currently proposed, the route will cost $383 million dollars as determined by a 2005 estimate. This price projection includes construction, rail stations, and rail cars. While tickets sales alone will not fully fund the $5 million dollars in operating costs, it is important to note that no mass transit system in the United States operates without some form of government subsidies.
[edit] Atlanta to Lovejoy and Macon
The Atlanta to Macon route was, as of 2006, seen as the first line ready for implementation, primarily because the railroad owner, Norfolk Southern had shown more interest than had CSX, the owner of the Athens line. In addition, the Clayton County Commission had offered to fund much of the operating costs of the line, over $106 million in funding was available from the U.S. Department of Transportation, and environmental assessment had been completed.[3]
[edit] Funding Delays
However, in April 2006, a line was slipped into the state budget forbidding the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) from spending any funds on commuter rail without direct approval from the General Assembly. Rail advocates saw that as a last-minute sabotage of the program, as the General Assembly only meets for 60 days once a year.[4] In addition, the Clayton County Commission in January 2007 withdrew its commitment to fund the operating costs of the line.
[edit] Bremen to Atlanta
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[edit] Canton to Atlanta
This line of rail will run from Canton and connect into the Western & Atlanta line that runs from Atlanta to Acworth, then continue along the Western and Atlantic Railroad through Marietta, Smyrna, Cumberland, Vinings, and then the Bolton district of Atlanta, the Bankhead "West midtown" district of Atlanta (near Georgia Tech), then connect into either midtown via Atlantic Station or continue to Five Points, or both. Outside the city limits of Atlanta along this route, city populations total over 200,000 people if the high-density Cumberland district of Cobb County is included. Additionally, outlying areas would bring even more commuters.
A funding mechanism has been found for build up to Marietta from Atlanta by using future years' revenue from CSX to pay back the initial costs of a quick build-out. [4]
[edit] Gainesville to Atlanta
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[edit] Senoia to Atlanta
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[edit] Intercity Routes
Routes proposed for intercity transportation include:[5]
- Atlanta to Macon
- Macon to Savannah
- Macon to Jesup
- Macon to Albany
- Savannah to Jacksonville, Florida
- Atlanta to Augusta
- Atlanta to Greenville, South Carolina
- Griffin to Columbus
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Please help improve this section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. |
[edit] External links
- Georgia Rail Passenger Program
- Georgia Brain Train Group
- Sierra Club Atlanta Building Environmental Community program - a prominent advocate for commuter rail]
- Proposed Passenger Rail Map
