TN seeks ‘conductor’ for Amtrak railway study
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – Tennessee is one step closer to restoring passenger railway service, connecting Memphis, Nashville, Chattanooga, and Atlanta.
With congested roadways only expected to get more packed over the next several years, leaders from around the state are working to restore Amtrak in Tennessee. Amtrack last left the station in Nashville in 1979, after the Floridian was discontinued between Chicago and Miami.
In December, the City of Chattanooga secured $500,000 in federal funds to study the Sunbelt-Atlantic Connector, which they hope will model passenger railway systems in North Carolina and Virginia, and who better to take the reins on the project than Nashville’s neighbor to the south?
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“People are sitting in traffic more and more, getting more and more frustrated, commutes are taking longer. That’s lost productivity, that’s lost time with your friends and family, with your kids,” said Ellis Smith, director of intergovernmental and external affairs for the City of Chattanooga. “Here in Chattanooga, it stings particularly hard because we’ve got the Chattanooga Choo-Choo and yet you can’t get on a choo-choo train here in Chattanooga, so it’s even sillier for us.”
Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly is working in collaboration with mayors across the state to move forward with the Sunbelt-Atlantic Connector. The city has put out a Request for Qualification to determine who will conduct a study, looking at the project’s scope.
“To really look at who’s going to want to ride, when are they going to want to go, where do they want to go, how much are they going to want to pay? And really start to put together the business case,” Smith said.
The good news is the tracks are already in place, currently being used for freight. The study will look at the infrastructure needed to accommodate passenger train traffic.
Beyond the four major stops in Memphis, Nashville, Chattanooga, and Atlanta, the study will also look at other potential stops between those cities. However, Smith pointed out the passenger railway will give Tennesseans access points far beyond Georgia.
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“Nashvillians, Chattanoogans will be able to travel up to Chicago, down to New Orleans, all points west, and by linking up with Atlanta, you’ll be able to access the entire Eastern Seaboard as well. So it’s not just taking a day trip to Chattanooga, it’s potentially heading up to New York or down to Florida for the week,” Smith said.
The project study could take up to two years, although Smith said the process could certainly be shorter. He said studying passenger needs would be paramount in determining next steps.
The Request for Qualification application will be open on the City of Chattanooga’s website until June 11.
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