MACON, Ga. — Many folks around Central Georgia have the option and preference to travel by car. But on Wednesday, city and county leaders from throughout the area met in Macon to discuss other transportation options.
The I-75 Central Corridor Coalition held a meeting where the Federal Railroad Administration and a representative from Amtrak spoke about creating a community rail line that could take passengers from Central Georgia to other areas of the southeast.
"It's exciting to hear that there's work being done on something that's important to us like rail," Forsyth Mayor Eric Wilson said.
Wilson is also part of the central corridor coalition. He's excited for the opportunities more potential travel options through a intercity passenger rail line would offer.
"To give relief to the interstates and to the roads," Wilson said.
He and others hope that it also promotes economic and community growth. The FRA and state department of transportation approved planning for an Atlanta to Savannah rail connection.
"We want to influence it to become Atlanta, Macon, Savannah," Robert Reichert said.
Reichert is the former mayor of Macon and sits on the corridor coalition, too. Reichert says it would be great for tourism and help with both short and long distance travel.
"You can connect Charlotte and Savannah and Nashville, Tennessee and Birmingham, but it also has implications for long distance travel. We want to be connected to the national network and we don't want to be left standing at the station after it already left," Reichert said.
He says they would hope to use existing rails to make this happen. Reichert says the plans address railroad concerns.
"This improves safety because you close or separate grade crossings as part of the improvements to the rail, so you move freights safer, faster," he said.
Right now, the plans have some funding to start the process off.
"Sen. [Jon] Ossoff has championed getting $8 million to the State of Georgia to look at rail," Mayor Wilson said.
Plus the Atlanta and Savannah rail line connection received $500,000 through the federal Corridor Identification and Development Program.
"That's the first step in the process and those are planning dollars," Amtrack's Southern Director of Government Affairs Todd Stennis said.
Stennis says the funding puts this in the second phase of the three step planning process. According to a document from GDOT, the second phase is projected to last four years. There is no timeline for the rest of the project.
For this plan to be successful, presenters say it will need backing from state representatives.
During the presentation, leaders learned about plans for similar rail line connections across the southeast. This includes an option from Charlotte to Atlanta. They also mentioned Atlanta connections to Nashville and parts of North Carolina too.