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David Montanye
Director
1890 County Services Pkwy
Marietta, GA 30008
cobbdot@cobbcounty.org
(770) 528-1600
Cobb County Department of Transportation
 | Planning Studies |
ACTIVE STUDIES: (last updated Sept. 17, 2008)
Atlanta to Chattanooga High Speed Ground Transportation Study (GDOT HSGT Study) Cobb County Bicycle and Pedestrian Improvement PlanACTIVE STUDIES:
Atlanta to Chattanooga High Speed Ground Transportation Study:
website: www.atl-chatt.org
GDOT newsletter: Spring 2008
Since the late 1990's there have been efforts to design and construct a high-speed rail (HSR) line between Atlanta and Chattanooga. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) selected the Atlanta-Chattanooga corridor as one of seven areas throughout the nation that would develop project descriptions to be considered for funding the implementation of a HSR demonstration line.
In 2001, the FRA selected two finalists, which were ultimately funded for preliminary engineering and environmental impact analysis. Although the Atlanta-Chattanooga corridor was not a finalist, it and the remaining four areas were awarded ‘set-aside' funds to conduct supplemental studies to evaluate the feasibility of high-speed rail service along the respective corridors.
Between 2002 and 2004, the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) utilized the aforementioned set-aside funding to contract with Parsons Transportation Group to develop a feasibility study of a rail line between the two cities using magnetic levitation (maglev) technology. Maglev uses electromagnetic energy that elevates the train slightly above its track, greatly reducing friction and drag allowing the train to travel at speeds of up to 300 miles per hour. The study also considered the use of two alternative technologies to maglev, both of which involve traditional ‘steel wheel' design and engineering.
Earlier this year, the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) contracted with Long Beach, CA-based firm Earth Tech to conduct a 30-month environmental impact and preliminary engineering analysis for the rail line, which would span approximately 110 miles between Atlanta 's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and Chattanooga 's Lovell Field. As in the study conducted by ARC, this study will consider maglev technology along with two steel wheel technology alternatives. Funding for the study is provided by a $7.5 million federal grant that requires a local match of approximately 20 percent. Matching funds of approximately $875,000 have been provided respectively by the Cumberland Community Improvement District (CID), a quasi-governmental conglomerate of corporate entities based in the Cumberland/Galleria area of Cobb County , and a coalition of entities lead by the State of Tennessee and the City of Chattanooga .
Sponsoring Agency: Georgia Department of Transportation
Contact Person:
Susan Knudson/ Georgia Department of Transportation, Project Manager
(404) 699-4407
susan.knudson@dot.state.ga.us
Status: In Progress
Completion Date: September-October 2009