Georgia's Rail plans (Atlanta, Columbus, Savannah: subsidized, tax, live in)

[Southernbill]

How does Georgia's rail plans benefit the entire state and not just the largest metro areas and how can it be improved upon.

[neil0311]

Originally Posted by Southernbill

How does Georgia's rail plans benefit the entire state and not just the largest metro areas and how can it be improved upon.

To what plan(s) are you referring?

[Southernbill]

Originally Posted by neil0311

To what plan(s) are you referring?

http://www.dot.state.ga.us/traveling...terRailMap.pdf



Once the 425-mile system is complete, commuter trains will transport over 40,000 people to and from work everyday. Intercity trains will run on over a thousand miles of Georgia's railroads, connecting communities all over the state

http://www.dot.state.ga.us/traveling...ilPlan2009.pdf

I know its from 2 years ago but its detailed in section 3 page 42 down to page 68.

[StAubin]

The Commuter rail will spur growth in the towns that it runs through. People could live in Rome and work in Atlanta and not have to sit in traffic.

Intercity rail (possibly high-speed) would help rural towns by providing easy acces to major airports and tourist destinations. It will also spur some growth in those towns.

Its a big investmint but it would help Georgia's Economy in the long run by bringing jobs and new people to the state.

[southgeorgia]

Originally Posted by Southernbill

How does Georgia's rail plans benefit the entire state and not just the largest metro areas . . . . . .

I don't see that it does.

[StAubin]

Originally Posted by southgeorgia

I don't see that it does.

I will admit that south georgia is left out in this plan.

I think a 3-state Chattanooga-Atlanta-Macon-Valdosta-Jacksonville line would be nice and bennifet the southern part/central part of the state. Also gives me easier acess to Wild Adventues.

[cwkimbro]

Originally Posted by Southernbill

How does Georgia's rail plans benefit the entire state and not just the largest metro areas and how can it be improved upon.

Well keep in mind most Georgians, although not all, live in the states largest metro areas.

If anything south Georgian legislatures already self-legislated a few rural passenger rail routes to be built to make sure rural parts of Southwest Georgia aren't completely ignored.

To be honest... I think that is a poor idea and we need to leave it to transportation planners more.

Statewide passenger rail is important, but we also need to acknowledge two things... it is too expensive to go everywhere. It would be cheaper and more efficient to connect the larger rural towns with premium express buses to the passenger rail network via larger cities, like Macon, Savannah, Augusta, and Columbus.

But even then... It benefits all Georgians, because whether rural Georgians want to acknowledge it or not...state spending in rural areas is subsidized by the large metro areas (kind of like the legislated routes in southwest Georgia). Metro Atlanta is directly responsible for about 15% of the states entire revenue that will not be spent in the metro Atlanta region and Metro Atlanta pays for every bit of state spending in metro Atlanta.

If you allow and foster Atlanta's growth... Atlanta will bring more tax revenue to be spent statewide. Therefore, it benefits everyone...even if indirectly

[912]

Originally Posted by StAubin

Also gives me easier acess to Wild Adventues.

That's part of the issue I have with it. It's an unproven, expensive boondoggle that presumes we wanna act like Europeans. No thanks!

[cwkimbro]

Originally Posted by 912

That's part of the issue I have with it. It's an unproven, expensive boondoggle that presumes we wanna act like Europeans. No thanks!

It has nothing to do with wanting to be like Europeans... It is what our country was like before about 60-65 years ago. It isn't unproven... it is used in the northeast quite sucessfully in some areas and across the world in many countries just as rich... and many poorer than ours very successfully.

[912]

Originally Posted by cwkimbro

It has nothing to do with wanting to be like Europeans... It is what our country was like before about 60-65 years ago. It isn't unproven... it is used in the northeast quite sucessfully in some areas and across the world in many countries just as rich... and many poorer than ours very successfully.

In the HYPER-URBAN, COMPACT Northeast...as well as other compact areas in Europe & Asia. Let's be clear about that!