nwgeorgia

Here's my 2 cents worth: I used to work with the passenger rail program. The original idea was to pattern rail in GA after the Virginia Rail Express. It is a great success in the Old Dominion. Things haven't been so peachy for rail in GA as we have all seen. First of all, negotiations with the railroads are always testy...they make exorbitant demands. It's all a delicate balancing act between capital cost, accessibility(from the railroad cos.) and ridership. The Athens line has great numbers, but problems with CSX and line upgrade costs. The Lovejoy/Macon line has so-so ridership figures but a much more willing Norfolk Southern. NS is loosing its largest customer in a short while (Ford in Hapeville). I think with Ford gone, NS would normally only keep the 'S' line around for traffic relief on the 'H' line. Without talk of commuter rail, they might be even tempted to abandon it in time. Whatever the case, the price charged to the state should be more reasonable. THIS is why the Lovejoy corridor leapt ahead of the Athens "Brain Train" route. Now it looks like Sonny and Company aren't interested in anything other than asphalt so it could be a moot point within a year's time.