Passenger Rail Between Atlanta and Columbus (Savannah, Macon: construction, maintenance, costs)

[Columbus1984]

While I think the idea of passenger rail is nice, I think the cost outweigh the benefits. The Columbus line would draw a lot of attention because of the proximity to Atlanta, the airport, Fort Benning, corporate base of Columbus, etc. All depends on the cost to build. I think people from Columbus would use it to get the airport, events in downtown Atlanta, etc. It will be interesting to see if it ever happens. I still don't think Americans want to get out of their cars.

[gtcorndog]

Give me $299,999 and I'll share the results of my study.

Hint: It is a stupid idea. Now give me my money.

[StAubin]

Electrified High Speed Rail would probobly not be worth it on this corridor. However a deisel train could work very well, not a commuter train, but one more in line with the Hiawatha between Chicago and Milwaukee.

The stops could be..

Columbus
Lagrange
Newnan
ATL airport
Atlanta MMPT

[MathmanMathman]

HSR between Atlanta and Savannah has a better chance than Atlanta to Columbus. And I don't see a ATL-SAV line happening either. Columbus should save their money and not bother with a study. They should use that $300,000 for shuttle buses or shuttle flights to Atlanta.

[MathmanMathman]

Originally Posted by StAubin

Electrified High Speed Rail would probobly not be worth it on this corridor. However a deisel train could work very well, not a commuter train, but one more in line with the Hiawatha between Chicago and Milwaukee.

The stops could be..

Columbus
Lagrange
Newnan
ATL airport
Atlanta MMPT

It would help if there was a city as big as Milwaukee on the other end of Atlanta.

[StAubin]

Colombus has some potential. Maybe this train could be the spark Columbus needs.

[MathmanMathman]

Originally Posted by StAubin

Colombus has some potential. Maybe this train could be the spark Columbus needs.

Columbus needs about another million people. The expressway to Atlanta has done more for Columbus' growth than any rail line can.

[rackensack]

There's probably more market than many people realize for passenger rail between Atlanta and Columbus. There are a surprising number of people who work for Aflac or Synovus in Columbus who commute from the south metro Atlanta area (or even farther away), and probably many more who would do so if there were options beyond driving themselves or using one of the several van pools that run daily from the Atlanta area. At least a handful of additional stops in between would further expand the market for commuters who wanted to work in either city while living a more rural lifestyle. Whether it's a big enough market to be viably self-sustaining is another question.

When working on projects with Columbus-based companies, I know that for people coming in from out of the area, it was usually easier (and faster) to just fly into Atlanta and rent a car for the 75 minute drive to Columbus than to deal with making a connection and flying into Columbus. Add to that the greater reliability and schedule flexibility and there was enough of a difference that in nine months of people coming and going at least every other week or so, I don't think anyone actually flew all the way into Columbus. I'm sure the same is true for most other vendors working with Columbus-based companies. If there was a rail option running on a regular schedule, that might have been a better option.

[Columbus1984]

Originally Posted by rackensack

There's probably more market than many people realize for passenger rail between Atlanta and Columbus. There are a surprising number of people who work for Aflac or Synovus in Columbus who commute from the south metro Atlanta area (or even farther away), and probably many more who would do so if there were options beyond driving themselves or using one of the several van pools that run daily from the Atlanta area. At least a handful of additional stops in between would further expand the market for commuters who wanted to work in either city while living a more rural lifestyle. Whether it's a big enough market to be viably self-sustaining is another question.

When working on projects with Columbus-based companies, I know that for people coming in from out of the area, it was usually easier (and faster) to just fly into Atlanta and rent a car for the 75 minute drive to Columbus than to deal with making a connection and flying into Columbus. Add to that the greater reliability and schedule flexibility and there was enough of a difference that in nine months of people coming and going at least every other week or so, I don't think anyone actually flew all the way into Columbus. I'm sure the same is true for most other vendors working with Columbus-based companies. If there was a rail option running on a regular schedule, that might have been a better option.

I agree with your assessment. Flying to Columbus from Atlanta is a waste. Columbus is only 85 miles from Hartsfield. Rail would make a lot more sense. There are a lot of people who fly into Atlanta and go Columbus for business. Keep in mind Columbus is home to some of Georgia's largest corporations (Aflac, TSYS, Synovus, Carmike Cinemas, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia, Char-Broil, and one of the world's largest military bases, Fort Benning). With the new urban whitewater course coming online next Spring and the continued expansion of Fort Benning, there are hundreds of thousands of people visiting every year. Keep in mind Auburn/Opelika are only 25 mins west. That creates an area of well over 500,000 people.

[cqholt]

I think it would make sense as part of the Georgia Intercity rail system. Connecting LaGrange, Newnan, Union City, Peachtree City, Fayettevile, ATL Airport, College Park, East Point, Downtown Atlanta. Use existing rail corridor.

Unless, of course, it was another federally subsidized boondoggle that never generates enough revenue to cover even a fraction of it's cost.

I am sure there were people in the 1950's that thought the same thing of the Interstate Highway System.