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Georgia Rail Passenger Program
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| Program Overview |
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The
Georgia Rail Passenger Program includes both commuter rail trains in the
Atlanta area to help cope with growing commuter traffic, and
intra-state/intercity trains to provide a multi-modal alternative in the
state’s largest travel markets. The
seven commuter services and six intercity lines will be phased in during
the next 12 years, with the first trains scheduled to operate in 2003,
provided state funding is provided as requested. |
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| Safety
will be increased at road crossings of the rail lines through a systematic
program of upgrading grade crossing warning devices and barriers, and of
selective crossing separations and closings.
Stations have been chosen
on the basis of forecast ridership, but their precise location, parking
needs, and integration into the surrounding communities will be decided in
conjunction with local governments.
Trains will serve a central Atlanta station at
Five Points, the Multi-Modal Passenger Terminal (MMPT) adjacent to the
Five Point MARTA rail station hub. A
train maintenance facility will be located in the Atlanta area, and a
train cleaning and storage area will be located at the ends of each line.
The Program’s capital budget includes approximately $575 million
for stations, grade crossing improvements, and train maintenance and
storage facilities.
Trains will be
powered by diesel locomotives that are quieter and faster than those
normally used for freight trains. Passenger
cars for the commuter service will be double-deck for high capacity.
For intercity service, the passenger cars will be single level.
Approximately $300 million of the Program’s capital budget is for
these trains.
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| Commuter
services will provide five to seven trains per corridor into Atlanta in
the morning rush hours, and back again in the afternoon; a mid-day and an
evening train will provide additional flexibility for commuters.
Speeds and fares will be competitive with rush hour driving. Intercity trains will run a minimum of three trains a
day in each direction, at top speeds of up to 110 mph, providing
competitive travel times compared with driving.
Fares will be set to optimize the operating cost recovery from
intercity services.
The
Program anticipates that commuter services will need operating assistance,
but that the intercity services will have a positive cash flow.
The staging of services is planned so that operating assistance
will be needed for the first five years of operation, after which time the
intercity services are anticipated to provide sufficient cash flow to
cover the commuter services needs. |
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| Georgia
Rail Passenger Plan |
Athens - Dacula - Atlanta: Opening to Dacula in 2003, and extending to Athens in 2004, (provided
that state funding is provided as requested), this 68-mile service will
use the CSX freight line, with stops in Clarke, Oconee, Barrow, Gwinnett,
DeKalb, and Fulton counties. The
total capital cost is estimated at $316 million, with almost half for rail
vehicles, one third for trackwork and signals, and the remainder for
stations, parking, and maintenance
facilities. With fares
comparable to other commuter rail systems, 3.2 million passengers are
forecast in 2010, with total operating assistance of $8 million per year,
including common costs shared by all lines.
The Athens service will carry a volume of passengers in the Atlanta
urban area equal to 15% of the travel on parallel highways (I-85 and US
78), providing the capacity of 4 general-purpose highway lanes.
(See Athens
Fact Sheet for more detail on this service.)
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| Macon
- Griffin - Atlanta: Opening
to Griffin in 2003, and extending to Macon in 2004, (provided that state
funding is available as requested), this 104-mile service will use the NS
freight line, with stops in Bibb, Spalding, Henry, Clayton, and Fulton
counties. Its capital cost is
estimated at $290 million with almost half for trackwork and signals, one
third for rail vehicles, and the remainder for stations, parking, and
maintenance facilities. With
fares comparable to other commuter rail systems, 2.2 million passengers
are forecast in 2010, with total operating assistance of $8 million per
year. The feasibility and
financial impact of adding feeder service to Houston County from Macon is
being examined as a result of a legislative request.
The Macon service will carry a volume of passengers in the Atlanta
urban area equal to 10% of the travel on parallel highways (I-75 and US
19/41), providing the capacity of 2 general-purpose highway lanes.
(See Macon Fact Sheet
for more detail on this service.)
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Atlanta
Multi-Modal Passenger Terminal - Phase 1:
Opening
in 2003 to accommodate the Griffin and Dacula services, (provided that
state funding is provided as requested),
Phase 1 of the MMPT will provide a common terminus for rail
services having direct access to MARTA’s Red and Blue lines, and served
by regional and local buses, vans and intercity buses. Sufficient capacity
will be provided in Phase 1 for the Macon and Athens services.
Its capital cost is estimated at $55 million; its operating costs
are included in those of the lines. |
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| Atlanta
Multi-Modal Passenger Terminal - Phase 2:
Opening
in 2005 (provided that state funding is provided as requested),
this phase will provide sufficient passenger handling capacity
until 2008. Its capital cost
is estimated at $35 million; its operating costs are included in those of
the lines.
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| Albany
- Macon - Atlanta: Opening
in 2006, (provided that state funding is provided as requested), this
106-mile extension of Macon - Atlanta service will use the NS freight
line, with stops in Dougherty and Sumter counties.
Capital cost is estimated at $100 million. Depending on the level of fares charged, an additional 190 -
230 thousand passengers are forecast in 2010, with an operating surplus of
$3.1 - $5.6 million per year.
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| Savannah - Macon - Atlanta:
Opening in 2007, (provided that state funding is
provided as requested), this
extension of Atlanta – Macon service to the Coastal Empire will provide
a link to Amtrak trains to New York, Florida, and points in between. The three trains daily each way will also double the capacity
between Macon and Atlanta. From
Macon to Savannah, the service will use either the NS freight line to
Jesup and the CSX line from Jesup to Savannah with stops in Dodge, Wayne,
and Chatham counties (204 miles), or the Georgia Central line, with stops
in Toombs and Chatham counties (171 miles).
Capital cost based on the NS route is estimated at $165 million.
Depending on the level of fares charged and the route selected, an
additional 220 - 320 thousand passengers are forecast in 2010, with from
$0.3 million in operating assistance to an operating surplus of $7.1
million per year |
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| Jacksonville
extension: Opening
in 2008, (provided that state funding is provided as requested),
this extension from the Savannah service will use the CSX line
between Savannah and Jacksonville. Capital
cost based on extending the line from Jesup to Jacksonville (91 miles) is
estimated at $30 million. Depending
on the level of fares charged and the route selected, an additional 180 -
240 thousand passengers are forecast in 2010, with an operating surplus of
$4.6 - $8.5 million per year.
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| Canton
- Atlanta: Opening
in 2008, (provided that state funding is provided as requested),
this 38-mile service will use the CSX freight line to Elizabeth and
the Georgia Northeastern line to Canton, with stops in Cherokee, Cobb, and
Fulton counties. Capital cost
is estimated at $100 million. Depending on the level of fares charged, 765 thousand to 1.1
million passengers are forecast in 2010, with operating assistance of $1.0
- $1.9 million per year. This
line will be restudied in 2001 for the impact of providing service to
Cartersville.
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| Bremen
- Atlanta: Opening
in 2009, (provided that state funding is provided as requested),
this 53-mile service will use the NS freight line, with stops in
Haralson, Carroll, Douglas, Cobb, and Fulton counties.
Capital cost is estimated at $55 million.
Depending on the level of fares charged 653 - 930 thousand
passengers are forecast in 2010, with operating assistance of $0.8 - $1.4
million per year.
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| Augusta
- Covington - Atlanta: Opening
in 2009, (provided that state funding is provided as requested),
this 171-mile service will use the CSX freight line, with stops in
Richmond, Morgan, Newton, Rockdale, DeKalb, and Fulton counties.
Capital cost is estimated at $200 million.
Depending on the level of fares charged 896 thousand to 1.1 million
passengers are forecast in 2010, with operating assistance of $2.0 - $3.9
million per year.
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| Atlanta
Multi-Modal Passenger Terminal - Phase 3:
Opening
in 2009, (provided that state funding is provided as requested),
this phase will provide sufficient passenger handling capacity for
all services in the program. Its
capital cost is estimated at $75 million; its operating costs are included
in those of the lines.
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| Senoia - Atlanta: Opening
in 2010, (provided that state funding is provided as requested),
this 38-mile service will use the CSX freight line, with stops in
Coweta, Fayette, and Fulton counties.
Capital cost is estimated at $70 million.
Depending on the level of fares charged 780 thousand to 1.1 million
passengers are forecast in 2010, with operating assistance of $0.0 - $1.0
million per year. |
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| Greenville SC - Gainesville - Atlanta:
Opening in 2010, (provided that state funding is
provided as requested), this
154-mile service will use the NS freight line, with stops in Stephens,
Hall, Gwinnett, and Fulton counties.
Capital cost is estimated at $100 million.
Depending on the level of fares charged 1.5 - 2.1 million
passengers are forecast in 2010, with operating assistance of $5.6 - $3.6
million per year |
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| Columbus - Griffin - Atlanta:
Opening in 2011, (provided that state funding is
provided as requested), this
78-mile extension of service will branch off of the Atlanta-Griffin NS
line, and then will use a combination of NS line, abandoned freight line
segments, and new alignment with direct service from Spalding to Muscogee
counties. It will add another
three trains daily on the segment between Griffin and Atlanta.
Capital cost is estimated at $170 million. |
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| Depending
on the level of fares charged, an additional 160 - 177 thousand passengers
are forecast in 2010, with from $0.9 million in operating assistance
needed to $0.3 in operating surplus obtained per year.
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| Recent
and Planned GRPP Milestones |
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Winter
1999:
Determined
that Federal Transit Agency is lead Federal funding agency
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April
/ May 2000: Held nine public meetings in Athens and Macon corridors
to solicit public comments
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Summer 2000:
Updated ridership and costs and examined alternative alignments
and express bus
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Oct. / Nov. 2000:
Held second round of public meetings on results of analyses
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Fall 2000:
Negotiated
Atlanta area rail capacity investment study with railroads
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January 2001: PMT selected
alternatives for environmental analysis
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Spring – Fall 2001: Conduct environmental analyses and obtain
Federal funding clearances; undertake rail capacity studies with railroads; begin
acquisition of rail property
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Winter 2001 / 02:
Begin design of trackwork, signals, and facilities, and
acquisition of train equipment
(provided requested funding is forthcoming)
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| GRPP
Management Structure |
In October 1999, the Georgia DOT’s State
Transportation Board and the Georgia Rail Passenger Authority (GRPA)
adopted the Program. In
November, these two agencies and the Georgia Regional Transportation
Authority (GRTA) agreed to form a Program Management Team (PMT) made up of
two members of each agency’s Board.
Governor Barnes appointed Sonny Deriso of the GRTA Board as
chairman. The other PMT
members are Jimmy Lester and Brad Hubbert of the Georgia DOT State
Transportation Board; Carl Rhodenizer and Mather Stapleton of the GRPA
Board; and Sharon Gay of the GRTA Board.
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Under
the overall control of the PMT, each agency will have areas of primary
responsibility. The Georgia
DOT’s primary responsibilities will be for planning, designing, and
constructing the rail infrastructure improvements, including the MMPT and
related facilities. The GRPA
will be the operational agency for the passenger service, and will be
primarily responsible for the operational aspects, and the siting and
designing of stations. The
GRTA will be primarily responsible for integrating local and regional
transportation and land use plans with the program and coordinating
transit service to optimize utilization of the rail network. |
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| The
Georgia DOT, on the behalf of the PMT, has contracted with a joint venture
of three leading rail planning and engineering consultants to help:
conduct the discussions with the railroads; satisfy Federal planning and
environmental requirements for using Federal funds; update costs, revenue,
service concepts, and line priorities; and identify state/local funding
for capital match and for operations.
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| FY
2002 State General Fund Request: |
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State Funds |
Federal Funds (matching) |
Total |
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| Multi-Modal Transfer Facility |
$3.9M |
$15.6M |
$19.5M |
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| Atlanta-Macon Intercity Rail Line |
$12M |
$56M |
$68M |
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| Atlanta-Macon Commuter Rail Line |
$23.8M |
$103.2M |
$127M |
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| Atlanta-Chattanooga, TN Study |
$2.2M |
$4.05M |
$6.25M |
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| Rail Management Consultant Contract |
$2.7M |
N/A |
$2.7M |
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| As of January 1, 2001, the Governor
has recommended the $3.9 million for the Multi-Modal Transfer Facility and
$2.7 million for rail program management. |
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