CSX Western and Atlantic Subdivision Atlanta - Chattanooga

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_a ... c_Railroad" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Didn't really see a thread on this subdivision; I did find a thread on a derailment that occurred on it, but not a general thread.

Anyway, the lease with GA is up, and being renegotiated. News: AJC.com

CSX control over rail line opposed by Cobb County

The Cobb County Board of Commissioners decided recently to appeal to state officials to maintain control of the rail corridor from Midtown Atlanta through Cobb County to Chattanooga.

The alternative would be for state officials to renew their lease with CSX for 50 years, beginning in 2020.
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The state owns the 137-mile railroad right of way but it currently is leased to CSX Transportation. With this 30-year lease set to expire in December 2019, the state is in negotiations with CSX to enter a 50-year lease, according to a county statement.
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and: ajc.com

Senate bill could close off passenger rail service to Cobb and beyond
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But some key decisions may already be underway to pre-empt that future. The Legislature is poised to make a key decision on the Western and Atlantic rail line that runs from Atlanta to Chattanooga. From today’s Marietta Daily Journal:

On Friday, the Georgia Senate passed SR 228. Buried in that resolution was a clause that would allow Georgia to enter a lease with CSX for the next 50 years in return for the rail company paying the state about $12 million a year.

There’s just one caveat.

CSX would have exclusive use of the railroad, ending any possibility for those tracks to be shared with a passenger rail line.
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In it's present configuration there is no way passenger service could be implemented on the W&A. If the State of Georgia has $5 - 10B laying around they don't have more pressing needs for they could provide capacity enhancement on the W&A for passenger service.

I doubt any initial service would run the full length of the corridor. Most likely we'd be talking about double tracking as far as Acworth, Cartersville at the most. But I doubt there's $5-$10bn worth of investments needed even for regional service to Chattanooga.

I can't see how you could run anything with any speed anyways, even after pouring 5-10billion into it.

Honestly, for that amount of money you could tear down the brand new I-75 HOV lane bridges they've built and replace that with dedicated (elevated) railroad thru-way right next to I-75, and run the trains at 75mph.