Quote:
Originally Posted by FireBlade
I think connecting Savannah, Birmingham, Greenville, or Chattanooga would be a better option than Columbus.
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Yeah, it sounds good in theory, but the costs would outweight the benefits.
Traffic, at least now (and for the forseeable future) is pretty much a non-factor on the I-85 corridor between Atlanta and LaGrange, as well as along I-185 down to Columbus. So people have no incentive to use the train as an alternative if tickets are going to cost $60 or so.
That being said, a regional rail line from Newnan (and maybe Peachtree City) to Atlanta is definitely needed in the near future, especially if the explosive growth that Coweta and Fayette Counties experienced during the 80s - 2000s returns and traffic on I-85 worsens. Given that both Newnan and Peachtree City are pretty much a de-facto company towns for Hartsfield-Jackson / Delta, for the right price, it could get quite a bit of use. The bones are already there, so it's just making the necessary upgrades to the existing infrastructure in place to accommodate passenger service.