Charles Oliver
charlesoliver@daltoncitizen.com
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If and when state and federal officials decide to move ahead with the long talked about Chattanooga to Atlanta high-speed railroad, Dalton officials will be ready.
“They’ve narrowed down the number of routes they are looking at, and they are seriously considering four routes now. One of them is the I-75 corridor,” said Greater Dalton Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Transportation Planner Zach Montgomery.
Montgomery said the I-75 corridor is attractive because the state already owns the right of way. The downside, he says, is a Maglev (magnetic levitation) line may not be able to placed there for engineering reasons.
“But they could go with a high-speed train rather than a Maglev. That is not as fast, but it is still pretty darn fast. It’s also cheaper to do high-speed rail rather than Maglev,” he said.
Maglev trains can reach speeds of up to 361 mph, though they typically run well under that. High-speed rail trains can run at speeds of up to 220 mph but more typically run at speeds of around 120 mph. It isn’t clear how the project, which officials say could cost $4 billion or more, would be funded.
Montgomery said the I-75 route calls for a station in Whitfield County. MPO officials have asked Montgomery to begin looking for places where a station could be located to propose to state and federal planners.
“We are trying to find out what properties are available and where infrastructure such as water, sewer and electricity is available,” Montgomery said. “We want to be able to say ‘If you are ready, we are ready and we have a site located. Let’s get something going.’”
Montgomery said he wants to have his study completed by March 2011. He said based on that study the MPO will make a recommendation to local elected officials on how they should proceed.
“There will be at least two public meetings, probably three or four. The times have yet to be determined, but we’ll probably start around late September or early October,” he said.
The Georgia Department of Transportation received a $14.2 million federal grant last year to study a Maglev route between Atlanta and Chattanooga. And this month, GDOT applied for a $34 million grant to study a high speed rail line that would not only connect Atlanta and Chattanooga but continue on to Nashville, Tenn., and Louisville, Ky.
