Transportation officials are considering the development of rapid passenger rail service linking Charlotte and Atlanta.
A federal study released this month found that officials could realistically develop service that travels between 90 and 110 mph without needing major changes to the existing rail corridor.
The Charlotte Observer reported that Amtrak service on the route currently has a top speed of 79 mph and takes more than five hours to make a trip that takes less than four hours in a car.
The study assumed there would be as many as nine stops between Charlotte and Atlanta as it crosses through South Carolina.
Officials in the three states are now preparing to conduct a more detailed study to assess ridership and costs.
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Information from: The Charlotte Observer,
http://www.charlotte.com
(AP)
Showing posts with label commuter rail. Show all posts
Showing posts with label commuter rail. Show all posts
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Officials Eye Faster Atlanta, N. Carolina Rail Link
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Perdue to Support New Commuter Rail
Governor Sonny Perdue announced in a press conference today a plan to revamp Atlanta’s commuter rail. Perdue has committed his support for the pilot program and will ask next year’s legislature for funding. Plans also include a commuter train that will run from metro Atlanta to Lovejoy and Griffin. The Governor acknowledges that the current system has failed to keep up with Georgia’s growing business and population needs.
For immediate relief, 13 million dollars in already approved funds have been earmarked to add 28 new buses.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Commuter rail gets state DOT board consideration
Commuter rail that would link Atlanta to Lovejoy and Tucker, and would lay the groundwork for connections between Athens, Macon and the state capital--is a step closer.
A state Board of Transportation committee gave its recommendation Wednesday, saying the project should move ahead "on a limited basis". It would be funded by more than 100-million dollars already dedicated for the plan. Intermodal Committee chairman, former state Representative Larry Walker of Perry, says rail lines from Atlanta to Athens and Macon would be feasible if ridership is high enough.
The full DOT board will get the proposal this morning.
A state Board of Transportation committee gave its recommendation Wednesday, saying the project should move ahead "on a limited basis". It would be funded by more than 100-million dollars already dedicated for the plan. Intermodal Committee chairman, former state Representative Larry Walker of Perry, says rail lines from Atlanta to Athens and Macon would be feasible if ridership is high enough.
The full DOT board will get the proposal this morning.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Rally for commuter rail service
Supporters for commuter rail between Macon and Atlanta gathered in Griffin Tuesday for a rally. It was organized by the Sierra Club and officials with Spalding County. Backers of the rail plan want the Georgia Department of Transportation to fund the project. They say that congestion on Georgia's roads could be reduced with rail service along a 26 mile area from Atlanta to Lovejoy in Clayton County. That would be a first phase of a route that eventually would go to Macon. The state DOT meets soon to consider the project.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Commuter rail plan stuck in limbo
A state board of transportation committee held a public hearing Wednesday to discuss whether commuter rail would ever come to Georgia. They did not find an answer.
State officials have studied the feasibility of commuter rail lines between Atlanta, middle Georgia and Athens for years. They have looked at the costs, the ridership, and the routes. Georgia has $107 million in federal and state funds to spend on a line that runs from Atlanta to Lovejoy. Norfolk Southern has agreed to rent its rail lines to the state for a commuter service.
State board members reviewed all of those facts at the meeting, and then asked the public to comment.
"We're planning. We're re-planning. We're designing. We're consulting, and we're going in circles," said state Rep. Steve Davis (R-McDonough). He said the state should forget about commuter rail and instead focus on improving roads.
But most speakers argued in favor of the rail line as one alternative to clogged highways.
"We need all the capacity we can get our hands on because we feel like we're choking to death on congestion, and we're starting to lose business," said Terry Chastain of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce.
In the end, committee members were too far apart to recommend anything to the full board. Committee chairman Larry Walker concluded the meeting without a vote. He says even if the committee recommended the state go forward with the Atlanta-to-Lovejoy line, the full board would vote that option down.
"I think we don't need to do that right now," Walker said. He, like the majority of committee members, wanted updated estimates of the costs and revenue from a commuter rail line. The committee will meet again in a few weeks.
State officials have studied the feasibility of commuter rail lines between Atlanta, middle Georgia and Athens for years. They have looked at the costs, the ridership, and the routes. Georgia has $107 million in federal and state funds to spend on a line that runs from Atlanta to Lovejoy. Norfolk Southern has agreed to rent its rail lines to the state for a commuter service.
State board members reviewed all of those facts at the meeting, and then asked the public to comment.
"We're planning. We're re-planning. We're designing. We're consulting, and we're going in circles," said state Rep. Steve Davis (R-McDonough). He said the state should forget about commuter rail and instead focus on improving roads.
But most speakers argued in favor of the rail line as one alternative to clogged highways.
"We need all the capacity we can get our hands on because we feel like we're choking to death on congestion, and we're starting to lose business," said Terry Chastain of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce.
In the end, committee members were too far apart to recommend anything to the full board. Committee chairman Larry Walker concluded the meeting without a vote. He says even if the committee recommended the state go forward with the Atlanta-to-Lovejoy line, the full board would vote that option down.
"I think we don't need to do that right now," Walker said. He, like the majority of committee members, wanted updated estimates of the costs and revenue from a commuter rail line. The committee will meet again in a few weeks.
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