Passenger Rail Between Atlanta and Columbus (Savannah, Macon: rent, transfer, subsidized)

[Columbus1984]

Columbus is working hard to be connected to Atlanta by high-speed rail. Currently, there is a $300,000 study being conducted to determine the feasibility of this project. What do people from metro Atlanta think of this plan?

Passenger rail between Atlanta and Columbus focus of study - Atlanta Business Chronicle

[StAubin]

I like it, however I think we need to focus on lines that will see the most ridership first. IE Atlanta-Savannah-Jacksonville.

[tikigod311]

Hmmm, I kind of like this. But only if a commuter rail line could be integrated. Say Columbus, Newnan, Fair burn, union city, airport, Atlanta. Or possibly route through PTC.

I think the Atlanta, Macon, savannah route will likely be a failure. How are people going to get around once they get there? Guess the same could be said for Columbus.

[StAubin]

Originally Posted by tikigod311

Hmmm, I kind of like this. But only if a commuter rail line could be integrated. Say Columbus, Newnan, Fair burn, union city, airport, Atlanta. Or possibly route through PTC.

I think the Atlanta, Macon, savannah route will likely be a failure. How are people going to get around once they get there? Guess the same could be said for Columbus.

How do people get around when they fly? They use public transit, get friends or family to pick them up, or they rent a car.

And considering the rail stations would most likely be built in downtown areas, they can walk.

[tikigod311]

Yeah, an additional transfer from plane to train is fairly unattractive to most people. I doubt the airlines will let rail be a more cost effective option.

I love rail transit. I just think the expansion of passenger rail in the SE will ultimately be a failure. It works elsewhere, Europe and the NE, because there are connections once you arrive and the cities are much closer together.

[erick295]

I can't imagine anyone wanting to take a train to Savannah or Jacksonville -- interstates go directly to both, and there's hardly any traffic on either. The only case I could imagine is someone who can't drive, but that's a pretty small minority of people, and they can just take a bus anyway. Surely we have better things to spend our money on.

On a side note, I can't imagine anyone wanting to go to Columbus at all

[StAubin]

Originally Posted by erick295

I can't imagine anyone wanting to take a train to Savannah or Jacksonville -- interstates go directly to both, and there's hardly any traffic on either. The only case I could imagine is someone who can't drive, but that's a pretty small minority of people, and they can just take a bus anyway. Surely we have better things to spend our money on.

On a side note, I can't imagine anyone wanting to go to Columbus at all

Or people who can drive but choose not too. That is a rather large demographic.

[NYbyWAYofGA]

Originally Posted by erick295

I can't imagine anyone wanting to take a train to Savannah or Jacksonville -- interstates go directly to both, and there's hardly any traffic on either. The only case I could imagine is someone who can't drive, but that's a pretty small minority of people, and they can just take a bus anyway. Surely we have better things to spend our money on.

On a side note, I can't imagine anyone wanting to go to Columbus at all

What about people from Columbus wanting to come to Atlanta though (for various reasons, including the airport)? I am originally from Columbus and once I get to Hartsfield-Jackson Intl, I take Groome Transportation shuttle service to Columbus and back (about 67 dollars round trip). Let me tell you, that shuttle service makes brisk business no matter what time I choose to take it. So, I can imagine high speed rail btw Columbus and Atlanta doing very well.

[tikigod311]

Originally Posted by erick295

I can't imagine anyone wanting to take a train to Savannah or Jacksonville -- interstates go directly to both, and there's hardly any traffic on either.

This is very true (Except 95 b/t Savannah and Jacksonville is PACKED). There is not a single doubt in my mind that a Savannah line would be a total waste. I-16 almost always has light traffic.

For the occasional person who doesn't want to drive, take a bus. It is pointless to spend millions on rail when the infrastructure to move people already exists. Hopping on a train at the new Multi-Modal station in Atlanta and flying down the tracks to spend a day in beautiful Savannah sounds great, but it is by all means impractical. As a fan of rail transport, I don't want it to become the poster child of waste.

Once a commuter rail network exists in Atlanta, extensions to Macon and Columbus may work. But at this point in time, those routes will fail. Rail transit will be regarded as wasteful and this will add to the resitance of rail expansion in metro Atlanta.

[BobKovacs]

I don't see it ever happening. The cost of high-speed rail is pretty steep, and I can't imagine the ridership between Columbus and Atlanta would ever be large enough to justify it. Unless, of course, it was another federally subsidized boondoggle that never generates enough revenue to cover even a fraction of it's cost.