by Jeff Smith
...and as a denizen of Georgia, so am I. I've long thought Atlanta needs a second daily frequency, a day train from ATL to NYP. Interesing asides in the editorial include reference to regional services.
http://www.ajc.com/opinion/atlanta-shou" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ... 98196.html
http://www.ajc.com/opinion/atlanta-shou" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ... 98196.html
Is all this asking too much? Well, yes — if you continue to host only two trains and about 300 people a day, as Amtrak does now.
Yet a new terminal linked to the region’s other public transportation stands a greater chance of attracting new passengers and expanded service than the Brookwood station on Peachtree Street in Buckhead, a pocket-sized whistlestop that opened in 1918 for the Southern Railway.
....
A new terminal is a priority for Amtrak in Atlanta.
“There certainly is a sense of urgency within my department,” Jeff Mann, Amtrak’s assistant vice president for policy and development for the Southern region, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “A new station would allow us to pursue growth opportunities in Atlanta as far as regional service, a new corridor and connecting with MARTA services that we may not be able to access at the [current terminal].”
Operations are limited at the current terminal. Norfolk Southern’s main line shuts down while Amtrak trains are in the station; there isn’t room for Amtrak to pull off the main tracks during boarding. (Norfolk Southern also favors relocating the Amtrak terminal; alas, it can’t offer financial help.)
Amtrak is conducting a feasibility study and should have a preferred site for a new terminal early next year. Then the real work begins to secure funding, environmental approval and new agreements with other rail users and owners.
Last edited by Jeff Smith on Fri Jul 31, 2015 11:38 am, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Retitled thread
Next stop, Willoughby
~el Jefe :: RAILROAD.NET Site Administrator/Co-Owner; Carman at Naugatuck Railroad
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~el Jefe :: RAILROAD.NET Site Administrator/Co-Owner; Carman at Naugatuck Railroad
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