Western and Atlantic Commuter Rail (Atlanta, Marietta: lease, tax, bus)

[st3mpy]

There are some important discussions happening right now with regards to the future use of the state owned Western and Atlantic rail line. CSX's lease is up at the end of 2019. They are pursuing a 50 year, exclusive rights to the rail line. This would absolutely kill any realistic chance of Cobb gaining rail service to and from Atlanta. Luckily the Amazon announcement has been a kick start to keeping options open for this rail line.

It might not be people's favorite option, but building passenger platforms on an existing rail line that runs from Downtown to Vinings, Smyrna, Marietta, Kennesaw, Acworth, and beyond is a much more attractive option than the estimated $200+million PER MILE it would take to build a MARTA HRT route. To put that into perspective, Downtown to Kennesaw would require 20 miles of track, or $4 Billion dollars plus decades of work.

Why a MARTA move into Cobb County wouldn’t have to be all or nothing | Political Insider

[Clayton white guy]

Fingers crossed something "GOOD" will come out of it for commuter rail.

[jsvh]

Yeah, hopefully even if Cobb leaders are too stupid to push for getting rights for a potential commuter rail on these tracks the state will do it for them.

The W&A line is one of the best, if not the best, route for commuter rail in the metro. Hits a lot of good destinations.

[fourthwarden]

Originally Posted by st3mpy

It might not be people's favorite option, but building passenger platforms on an existing rail line that runs from Downtown to Vinings, Smyrna, Marietta, Kennesaw, Acworth, and beyond is a much more attractive option than the estimated $200+million PER MILE it would take to build a MARTA HRT route. To put that into perspective, Downtown to Kennesaw would require 20 miles of track, or $4 Billion dollars plus decades of work.

As I've been saying, Cobb would have the resources to do a good bit of both commuter rail, and heavy rail, with some bus rapid transit as well.

We really need to stop thinking of things in terms of a single technology being offered, when MARTA is planning the metro's first commuter rail line right now, as well as the metro's first true Bus Rapid Transit routes. That's not to mention the streetcar and light rail projects, as well as the full range of bus services available.

MARTA is not a one-trick pony, and it's worrisome to see people, in general, think of it as such.


I'm also worried about this notion that 'Area X has been paying tax Y for Z years, and THEY don't have rail transit, therefore we can't trust the agency!'. It's a pervasive one that tugs at people's instincutal, emotional responces of what is 'fair'. In reality, though, there are many reasons why either Area X shouldn't get rail transit, why tax Y is not enough to fund rail transit, or why Z years aren't an adequate measure of the historical issues that faced the area and made it unreasonable to bring them transit.

It's an argument without nuance, and without the ability to see the wider picture of cause and effect.