Officials tasked with determining the future of railroad viability in Chattanooga have spoken: The best possibility for rail in the city is the first of the three options presented at the first public meeting last October.
That option, Alternative 1, focuses on maximizing existing rail line usage and will be reliant on CARTA bus routes accommodating for where rail lines end, as well as multimodal bike pathways and pedestrian walkways.
Peter Haliburton of Cambridge Systematics, the consultant company leading the study on the proposed rail system, said during the final public rail input meeting last Thursday that the decision to continue with rail implementation is dependant upon public response and the ability to secure funding.
Federal funding for the project is possible, he said. However, once the project is completed, operational costs would be funded locally. Capital costs for the project are estimated at $80 million.
“Looking over the responses, of which there have been over 100, just to me personally, there was only one ‘no,’ two ‘maybe’ and the rest were ‘yeses,'” said Chattanooga Transportation Department Administrator Blythe Bailey. “And I think that speaks to the enthusiasm and support the rail project has. Chattanooga was once a rail city, and we can be again.”
For more information, visit the “Support Chattanooga Passenger Rail” page on Facebook. Text “Rail” to 83224 to get updates on passenger trains in Chattanooga.
To read previous coverage, visit timesfreepress.com/news/community/story/2016/jan/20/city-hosts-second-railway-public-input-meetin/345647.