I began writing this in response to NNA/ONA message board comments about a transportation/transit center including intercity rail (Amtrak) on the GM site. It became too long a message to broadcast to NNA/ONA, so I’ve placed it here.
Intercity Service
The current GDOT / City of Atlanta plan is to incorporate the central Atlanta Amtrak station in the proposed downtown multi-modal passenger station (MMPT). The MMPT would be located between the Five Points MARTA Station and Philips Arena in the area known as the gulch. Proposed Lovejoy (now Griffin, see below) and Athens commuter rail services (and any other commuter service that may be implemented) would also use MMPT train platforms. Direct same level access between the platforms and the Five Points MARTA station main concourse level would be provided under Forsyth Street.
Being multi-modal, the MMPT would also serve GRTA, C-Tran (Clayton County), Cobb and Gwinnett Transit commuter buses, various MARTA local buses, and intercity (Greyhound) bus service at the Forsyth-Spring Street level of the MMPT, intercity bus relocating from its present station location adjacent to the Garnett Street MARTA Station. I anticipate a Peachtree Street streetcar would make a detour off Peachtree Street to serve the MMPT as well, but I am less knowledgeable about the streetcar proposal.
It’s extraordinarily unlikely there will be any planning effort for a Doraville Amtrak station that would replace the Brookwood Station given the downtown MMPT proposal/concept and its state of development, even if the MMPT plan is changed to not include intercity rail. There are issues not discussed herein that could result in an MMPT that doesn’t include intercity rail service, but the Atlanta city government would fight to prevent relocation of the Amtrak station outside of city limits. An additional Doraville Amtrak station would be too close to either a downtown or Brookwood Amtrak Station to be practical.
More Background
GA, SC and NC have cooperatively been studying improvements to intercity train service along the Atlanta-Charlotte route since 2002. It has been determined that the freight traffic and alignment are not conducive to maximum speeds in excess of 80mph. GDOT is presently considering/preparing to conceptualize a new high speed (110mph or more) intercity rail alignment along I-85 right-of-way (ROW). The I-85 intercity rail alignment would connect to the existing railroad ROW near Suwanee where I-85 is only about a mile east of the railroad ROW, and use railroad ROW between Suwanee and Atlanta. The concept is insufficiently developed at this time to say whether the intercity service would have its own track(s) on railroad ROW, or would share tracks with the railroad between Suwanee and the MMPT.
NC / Charlotte is a decade ahead of GA on state development of commuter/in state intercity rail, having years ago established train service between Charlotte, Greensboro, Raleigh-Durham and Rocky Mount: http://www.bytrain.org/multirider.html . NC and VA furthermore are well along toward implementing high speed service: http://www.sehsr.org/
GDOT extensively studied Georgia intercity and commuter rail possibilities in the 1990’s. The study results included recommendations to further examine and develop Gainesville-Atlanta commuter rail service and increase intercity service on the line through Doraville, increased intercity service on the line being defined as additional service at least as far north as Greenville.
Six other commuter rail services—Macon, Athens, Bremen, Cartersville-Canton, Covington-Social Circle, and Senoia—and three other intercity services—Jacksonville-Savannah, Albany and Birmingham—were also recommended for further study. All except Lovejoy, the initial segment of Macon commuter service, and Athens services were killed after Perdue was elected and the GOP took control of the General Assembly in 2002. The only reason Lovejoy and Athens weren’t killed is that the work was farther along and had began prior to 2002. $4 /gallon gas evidently got GOP attention, and GDOT is now considering implementing Griffin service, a little longer version of Lovejoy service.
Doraville
Should Gainesville commuter rail service be reconsidered, Doraville would likely be one of on the order of a half dozen intermediate Gainesville commuter rail service station stops. Norcross would definitely have an intermediate station. The Lenox MARTA Station would be the only intermediate station, if any, between Doraville and Atlanta.
A Doraville commuter rail station would allow OTP commuters to transfer to MARTA for connection to Chamblee and Brookhaven, transfer to possible I-285 transit to Perimeter and Cumberland, as well as access whatever might be developed on the GM site. A Doraville commuter rail station would require only on the order of a long narrow two acres adjacent to the railroad, something that should be readily accommodated no matter how the GM site is redeveloped, along with a site plan that accommodates possible I-285 transit.
I’ve stuck to facts herein. This post is long enough, so I’ll save opinions on I-85 corridor public transportation for another time.
