ABOVE: The Atlanta to Savannah passenger rail route is an important piece of the regional rail network being envisioned for the Southeast. The broad initiative is not unlike Michigan’s own plans to increase service on existing lines and add important new lines, like the North+South Passenger Rail, connecting urban and rural communities.

In places all around the country, efforts to expand and improve passenger rail are picking up steam! In March, Georgia’s Department of Transportation (GDOT) launched a campaign to raise awareness and gain input as it embarks upon a study to evaluate the feasibility of reestablishing passenger rail between Atlanta and Savannah, two cities that haven’t been connected by passenger service in more than 50 years. In many ways Georgia’s plans mirror those here in Michigan, as we work with Cadillac’s WexExpress to plan the North + South Passenger Rail Corridor. 

For starters, both Georgia’s and Michigan’s plan connect a large urban area to smaller communities. Atlanta, with a population of 510,000 is slightly smaller than Detroit, while Savannah’s population of 148,000 is similar to Traverse City’s metropolitan area. Savannah is a quiet, coastal community that shares economic and social similarities with Traverse City. Likewise, Atlanta is the state’s major economic hub, and together with Athens—the home of the University of Georgia—plays a role similar to the role Detroit and Ann Arbor play here. The distance between both city pairs is also similar, around 250 miles, a distance over which passenger rail can compete well with both air travel and driving. Georgia and Michigan join other states that are looking to improve transportation between urban areas and smaller communities to reduce urban-rural economic disparities and encourage statewide economic development. 

While Atlanta and Savannah currently lack a direct passenger rail connection, they are both served by Amtrak; Atlanta by the Crescent Service, and Savannah by the Floridian, Palmetto and Silver Meteor Services. But unfortunately, train schedules are not convenient for local travelers. The Palmetto departs from Atlanta just once daily in each direction, and in Savannah departure times are clustered around early morning and midnight.

Passenger service did exist between Atlanta and Savannah until 1971, when the train known as the Nancy Hanks (which was named after an undefeated racehorse that in turn was named in honor of Abraham Lincoln’s mother) ceased operations.

Direct passenger rail from Atlanta to Savannah stopped in 1971 (again similar to Traverse City, which lost passenger rail in 1966), severing rail connection to cities big and small for communities between northern and coastal Georgia. While the proposed new route has yet to be decided, the study will examine routes that could pass through Macon, Tennille, Athens, Augusta, Barnesville, and a number of other Central Georgia and Upper Coastal Plains communities. 

The idea of reconnecting Atlanta and Savannah and rail has been floated by Georgia politicians since around 1985 (the Savannah Morning News provides an excellent record of their efforts), when a Georgia trade delegation was invited to Paris via Delta Airlines first-ever direct flight from Atlanta. During their stay, the lieutenant governor and mayor of Atlanta rode France’s high-speed rail network and were astounded by the efficiency, speed, and reliability. After the trade mission, they looked into bringing high speed rail to Georgia, unfortunately to no avail.

The 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics provided another boost to efforts, as the level of excitement and national relevance generated led the Metro Atlanta Chamber to form a coalition with chambers throughout the Southeast US to develop a high speed rail system. In 2003 GDOT completed the first necessary study to advance it.

The regional initiative moved forward, and meanwhile, the idea of reconnecting Atlanta with Savannah—among other cities—continued developing in the background. In 2012, after GDOT conducted a High Speed Rail Planning Services study, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed promoted the idea, and it was included within Georgia’s 2015 and 2021 state rail plans. 

When the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed in 2021, GDOT was awarded $8 million to investigate establishing a rail line with minimum speeds of 125 mph on the Atlanta-Savannah corridor. Georgia is providing an additional $2 million, for a total study budget of $10 million. That budget will include an alternatives analysis, environmental planning, comprehensive cost-benefit analysis, governance strategizing, and a phased implementation plan. 

Project managers expect the planning would be wrapped up by 2027, and that work on an environmental impact statement would begin in 2028. While funding hasn’t been identified beyond this initial study, the development process aims to identify funding sources and make a financial case for the operation of the line. There’s a lot of enthusiasm for finding the funding to make it happen, according to the director of GDOT’s Intermodal Division, Clement Solomon. Georgians have expressed a strong desire for improved transportation options, and the first online meeting introducing the study received more than 4,000 comments.

Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, several other Southeast rail expansion studies are being completed, and if lines came to fruition, they would make Atlanta a rail hub. North Carolina’s DOT is investigating a connection between Charlotte and Atlanta, and Chattanooga is investigating a rail line that would connect Atlanta with Memphis via Nashville.

Here in Michigan, in addition to the North + South Passenger Rail line, MDOT is likewise investigating several expansions: doubling service frequency on our existing Blue Water, Pere Marquette, and Wolverine lines, extending the Wolverine line to Windsor, and establishing a rail line connecting Detroit to Holland via Ann Arbor, Lansing, and Grand Rapids.

It’s exciting to see efforts to expand rail service continue throughout the country. To maintain the momentum, at every opportunity, let your state and federal government leaders and representatives know how important investment in rail and wider public transit improvement is to you.

Michael Goldman Brown, Jr. is Groundwork’s Transportation Specialist. michael.goldmanbrown@groundworkcenter.org