The 104-mile Macon line is forecast to carry 8,000 commuter rides each weekday in the year 2010, equal to 10% of the peak hour/direction traffic on parallel highways. The commuter rail will provide the equivalent capacity of two general-purpose highway lanes. The Macon line also provides the spine of a first tier of intercity rail lines to Albany, Columbus, Savannah, and Jacksonville that was adopted by the Board of Transportation in the Intercity Rail Plan of 1995 and included in the three-agency Program Management Team’s 1999 Georgia Rail Passenger Program (See GRPP Fact Sheet).

Commuter trains will operate from Macon and Griffin in the morning rush hours making stops in Monroe, Lamar, Spalding, Henry, and Clayton counties, at a station serving the Hartsfield International Airport area, and ending in downtown Atlanta next to Five Points. In the afternoon / evening peak period, trains would return commuters to their originating stations. Limited mid-day and evening service will provide needed flexibility for customers.

Fares based on distance are shown in the table on the right.

Sample Macon Corridor average fares

to Atlanta one-way:

Destination from
Macon
Forsyth
Barnesville
Griffin
Hampton
Lovejoy
Jonesboro
Morrow
Forest Park
Aviation Blvd
East Point

Amount^*
$6.50
$5.50
$5.00
$4.50
$4.00
$3.50
$3.00
$2.50
$2.00
$1.75
$1.50
^*Based on July 2000 MARTA fare

Capital costs are estimated at $290 million in year 2000 dollars. The major categories of this cost are shown in the table on the next page, with each category including all costs of design, construction management, and contingency attributable to each.

Current Activities and Implementation Schedule

Major activities underway consist of station area planning, public and neighborhood outreach, railroad capacity improvement study, and Federal permitting and funding.

Station area planning: Specific location of stations, size and arrangement of parking facilities, provision of feeder and distribution bus service, and the development of transit-oriented land uses are being discussed with local and county planners and transportation agencies.

Sample Macon Corridor AM rush hour schedule:

Public and neighborhood outreach: Rail planners are meeting with local neighborhood homeowner associations and local officials, publishing a newsletter and maintaining a website, ( www.garail.com ), and holding advertised public meetings in order to provide current project information and identify public concerns and issues so that they can be properly addressed.

Station

Time

Macon
Forsyth
Barnesville
Griffin
Hampton
Lovejoy
Jonesboro
Morrow
Forest Park
Aviation Blvd
East Point
Five Points

-
-
-
5:20
5:32
5:41
5:50
5:57
6:02
6:08
6:15
6:26

-
-
-
5:50
6:02
6:11
6:20
6:27
6:32
6:38
6:45
6:56

5:03
5:43
6:01
6:20
6:32
6:41
6:50
6:57
7:02
7:08
7:15
7:26

-
-
-
6:50
7:02
7:11
7:20
7:27
7:32
7:38
7:45
7:56

6:03
6:43
7:01
7:20
7:32
7:41
7:50
7:57
8:02
8:08
8:15
8:26

Railroad capacity improvement study: The Norfolk Southern railroad that owns the right of way and tracks to be used for the commuter rail service has agreed to work with the state on a capacity improvement study to determine what specific investments will be needed to accommodate commuter rail and future freight traffic growth. This work will update the current estimates of how much additional track, signalling, grade-crossing upgrades, and other improvements are needed.

Federal permitting and funding: Work is progressing on the environmental assessments needed in order to use the Federal funds programmed for the Macon commuter service in the Atlanta region’s Transportation Improvement Plan. The Federal Transit Administration will administer the Federal capital funds that must be matched by State and local funds.

Macon corridor capital costs for year 2010 service
	($$ millions)
Trackwork & signals	$ 144
Train vehicles	$ 102
Stations and parking	$ 36
Maintenance facilities	$ 8
Total	$ 290

Also being defined are the specifications and numbers of locomotives and train cars needed, and operations financing options.

Federal environmental clearance is anticipated for Spring 2002, at which point funds can be committed to the longer lead time items of train equipment and facilities design. Service is anticipated to begin in late 2003 from Griffin, and from Macon in 2004, provided state funding is provided as requested.

FY 2002 Funding Requests

For Fiscal Year 2002, the budget request is for funds to undertake the necessary preliminary engineering, acquire right of way, to begin procurement of trainsets and ancillary equipment, and to begin construction of track and other improvements. State general funds of $12 million (to be added to $2 million already available from the Georgia DOT’s funds) is needed to match $56 million in federal funds for a total FY 2002 project request of $70 million.

Preliminary Engineering

Total cost for FY 2002 is $6 million ($1.2 million in state general funds) for preliminary engineering of improvements described in the Trackwork / Signals/ Construction section below for FY 2002, and a portion of Trackwork / Signals / Construction work to be funded in FY 2003 and FY 2004.

Right of Way

Total cost for FY 2002 is $10 million ($2 million in state general funds) for acquisition of additional right of way in the Mountain View to Hapeville section to accommodate a second main track and to begin the acquisition of property at stations required to accommodate parking, and layover facilities in Griffin and Macon.

Rolling Stock

Total cost for FY 2002 is $30 million ($6 million in state general funds) which is for the procurement, inspection, and acceptance testing of a first order of passenger train equipment consisting of 4 diesel-electric passenger locomotives at an estimated $2.9 million each, four double-deck coaches with driver’s cab to allow full speed reverse direction operation at $2.3 million each, and six regular double-deck coaches at $1.7 million each.