High Speed Rail Route Could Pass Through Athens

A proposed high speed rail project designed to eventually connect Atlanta to Washington D.C., could pass through Athens.

Six routes are currently being considered for the Atlanta to Charlotte portion of the project. One of those routes would utilize the existing CSX Transportation right-of-way between Atlanta and Chester, S.C., via Athens and NS right-of-way between Chester and Charlotte via Rock Hill, S.C. (see map). That route would pass through Barrow County. 

Other routes under consideration are the Norfolk Southern (NS) railroad corridor (also referred to as the Southern Crescent Corridor route); CSX right-of-way between Atlanta and Augusta and NS right-of-way between Augusta and Charlotte via Columbia; the I-20 and I-77 corridor; the I-85 corridor route and a Greenfield corridor which, according to a Georgia Department of Transportation press release, "offers the opportunity to define a fully grade-separated route alignment which has optimal geometric characteristics for high-speed passenger rail service."

The Atlanta to Charlotte rail corridor is an extension of the Southeast High-Speed Rail Corridor (SEHSR), which is under development from Charlotte to Washington, D.C. 

A statement on the Georgia Department of Transportation website explains the need for the rail project:

Interim roadway improvements in the major metropolitan areas of Atlanta and Charlotte, and Greenville, and Spartanburg, S.C., likely will not satisfy long-term capacity and mobility needs for the corridor. Alternative transportation choices such as high-speed rail are needed to combat increased traffic congestion, crash rates and air pollution from vehicles’ greenhouse gas emissions.

A series of public information scoping meetings will be held in June. The only meeting in Georgia will be held on Tuesday, June 4, from 4-7 p.m. in the Suwanee City Council Chambers at 323 Buford Highway in Suwanee, Ga. The public is also invited to view a 24/7 virtual meeting on the project website at www.dot.ga.gov/AtlantaCharlotteHSR beginning June 4, 2013, and extending through July 4, 2013. 

As part of the study, officials will analyze corridor alternatives, station locations, service frequency, hours of service and more.

"Other route alternatives may also be evaluated pending the outcome and identification of additional alternatives from the agency and public scoping meetings," the press release stated.

More information about the project is available on the Atlanta-Charlotte High Speed Rail web page. You can also follow the Atlanta-Charlotte High Speed Rail Facebook page for further updates.

Would you like to see high speed rail in this area? Would you use high speed rail service to travel from Atlanta to Washington, D.C. if available? Do you think this project will ever actually be built? Let us know in the comments.