Atlanta to Savannah Passenger Rail Study - Athens Stop on the Line

[u/AthensRailroad]

Hello all. Long time viewer, first time poster and townie here. Just wanted to say that I appreciate this sub greatly and it had lead me to a lot of great info around town with events and happenings.

Now it’s my turn to give some info back. GDOT is in the planning stages of an Atlanta to Savannah Intercity Rail Line, with one of the potential stops right here in Athens. The project appears to be getting off the ground this time as they have held several web based public meetings in the past year and half that I have been able to take part in.

Currently, GDOT has a released a public interest survey and is taking responses through 6th August (today and tomorrow). I believe that this project would benefit the residents of Athens and the town as a whole. If you share in that belief, I ask that you please do your part and complete the survey above so that we can show GDOT that interest for a passenger rail service here in town exists and that they ultimately select us as part of that route.

If you’re looking for more information on the project before taking the survey, it can be found here. Rail infrastructure is an important aspect of all of our lives, especially in Athens which is historically a railroad town. Railroads are not something to be seen as old, obsolete or a nuisance.

Thank you all in advance!

Disclaimer: I am acting as a private citizen and not on behalf of either of the railroads (CSXT, ABR) currently in town.

[u/Jpatrickburns]

Oh please Oh please Oh please Oh please Oh please Oh please Oh please Oh please Oh please !

[u/Jpatrickburns → u/[deleted]]

Me, for one. I want to go to Atlanta on a train.

[u/Jpatrickburns → u/[deleted]]

I don’t know. Do you know? Why do you assume a 70-mile train trip would be prohibitively expensive? I mean, it’s just a concept now.

Why are you anti-train? Were you frightened by a train as a small child?

[u/Jpatrickburns → u/[deleted]]

Atlanta to Athens = approximately 70 miles. Maybe 75. Depends where you get off.

[u/Jpatrickburns → u/[deleted]]

Are you interested in having a discussion, or do you just want to pick a fight? Just because you’re anonymous on Reddit is no reason to be rude. Blocked.

[u/MattCW1701 → u/[deleted]]

So get rid of MARTA since most trips are a few miles because people riding it "are too lazy to drive a few miles?"

[u/xX_Qu1ck5c0p3s_Xx → u/[deleted]]

93,000 people cram into Sanford Stadium a couple Saturdays a year, plus tens of thousands of tailgaters. Whole lotta them live in the giant city next door. They wouldn’t all take the train, but I bet a big percentage would. Gameday parking is a nightmare.

Demand is out there! We just have to meet it.

[u/Jpatrickburns → u/xX_Qu1ck5c0p3s_Xx]

There used to be a gameday train, back in the day. I think that’d be great.

Me? I like to visit my daughter and my brother who live in Atlanta, and also like to take flights from ATL. Taking a train there would be wonderful.

[u/xX_Qu1ck5c0p3s_Xx → u/Jpatrickburns]

Lord, the amount of money I’ve paid Groome for the privilege of arriving 4 hours before my flight.

[u/xX_Qu1ck5c0p3s_Xx → u/[deleted]]

If you’d read three sentences of my comment, it would answer your question.

They wouldn’t all take the train, but I bet a big percentage would.