Hearings planned on potential Atlanta-Charlotte rail line (Savannah, Macon: chapel, credit)

[cqholt]

I don't think any of this will happen in our lifetimes.

Well your old so you probably won't see it.

[jsvh]

Map of possible routes:


From: Athens stop possible in proposed high-speed rail from Atlanta to Charlotte | Online Athens

[cqholt]

I like the Athens line. Less stops, quicker service to Charlotte.

[tikigod311]

I like the Athens line the best for the large populace it would serve, student access, and GAME DAY TRAINS.

But the line up through Gainesville is second. If extra capacity was allotted for commuter rail (it better be), that would be a very useful line for commuters.

[cqholt]

In a prefect world, intercity rail would run from Atlanta to Gainesville, Athens, and Augusta. With the Athens line being utilized as the pass-thru for Charlotte.

[Born 2 Roll]

The Athens line would be a good stand-alone line for an individual regional passenger rail (regional heavy rail/commuter rail) connection between the Atlanta Airport and Sanford Stadium.

But the option that the Feds are more than likely going with is the Norfolk Southern right-of-way through Gainesville because the NS right-of-way already has a popular existing Amtrak line on it in the Amtrak Crescent which runs between New York and New Orleans.

Because it the NS line has the highest density of population and development of any of those routes, high-speed rail service on the Norfolk Southern right-of-way would also generate by far the most customers (and revenues) with stops at existing Amtrak stations in Gainesville, Toccoa, Clemson (Clemson University), Downtown Greenville (rising tourist attraction and very fast-growing and increasingly important industrial city in the South Carolina Upstate), Spartanburg and Gastonia and a new stop in Greer, SC to serve the fast-growing Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport.

The other lines are likely not even under serious consideration, but are just there for comparative analysis as a way of best explaining the predetermined choice.

[jsvh]

I think an Athens connection needs to happen, maybe even before Charlotte. But we should not force High-speed rail to take that longer / slower route. It should go NS, I-85, or Greenfield route IMO. Probably the latter two so it has its own, straighter (faster) right of way. No point in building high-speed rail if it is going to take a long route.

[cxbrame]

In the long term, I'm a supporter of high speed rail, but it will only be viable within a network of transportation options including decent intercity rail and commuter trains. Several trains a day go through Charlotte, Greensboro and Raleigh. I don't see why the same couldn't happen for cities in Georgia connecting Atlanta and Hartsfield-Jackson to the beach, mountains, and ports while connecting Athens, Augusta, and Macon (or some combination) in the process. Improving transit within each of these cities make that idea even more desirable.

I say this now living in New Orleans where the mountains and decent beaches are far. Being that a lot of flights connect through Atlanta already, I could see a flight to Atlanta and traing to Savannah or Chattanooga being competitive.

[tikigod311]

Regardless of which route it takes, if the HSR expansion allows for commuter rail on the same tracks then we are doing well. Having one route will make it easier to build another. The biggest bottleneck to CR seems to be the intown rails. If we get federal money to get this HSR route into town, we have a big part of complicated infrastructure taken care of, making expansion easier.

This is assuming space will be allotted for CR. Does anyone know if this is going to include new tracks or just improvements to existing track? I guess I should assume improvements. I guess new technologies in signalling would allow for more trains per hour per track?

[Zanarkand A East]

Meanwhile, Charlotte is the new Capital of the South! Hilarious, I know!

Watch out Atlanta and Georgia — we can see Charlotte and North Carolina coming up fast in our rearview mirror (Saporta Report)