Georgia Tracks Facts

In an Aug. 8 editorial, "Don't railroad Amtrak," the Atlanta Journal-Constitution argued that "passenger rail is a transportation alternative worthy of Congress' support".... In an Aug. 23 AJC editorial, "Rail stuck in reverse," the newspaper chided the State Transportation Board for its reluctance to support Atlanta-Lovejoy train service, saying a decision to block the project would leave commuters "with little choice but to stew in their automobiles".... An editorial in McDonough's Daily Herald, "Let's support commuter rail," argued "a reasonably priced rail system could open up the counties south of Atlanta to tourists and others".... An 18-month study has concluded that commuter rail and light rail service could help ease congestion in and around Emory University in DeKalb County... Friends of the Beltline, a group that has been advocating a greenbelt-and-transit loop along railroad tracks surrounding downtown Atlanta, will merge with the Beltline Partnership, a new advisory committee appointed by Mayor Shirley Franklin... Ralph Reed, who is seeking the Republican nomination for Georgia lieutenant governor, has endorsed the Beltline plan... Gov. Sonny Perdue has appointed former Cobb County Judge G. Grant Bentley to review stalled contract negotiations between MARTA and its unionized workers... In what may come as a surprise to many outspoken MARTA critics in the Georgia General Assembly, the Government Finance Officers Association has awarded MARTA a Certificate of Achievement in Excellence in Financial Reporting for the 11th straight year... MARTA added extra trains between Aug. 3 and Aug. 6 to handle crowds from Megafest and several other major events occurring in Atlanta during that period... Long-delayed work to renovate Macon's Terminal Station, expected to become a stop for revived Atlanta-Macon train service, could begin shortly... The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is dropping its weekly "Horizon" section, which focused on local transportation and development issues; the newspaper says it will continue to cover those topics in its regular news pages.

Source: Jim Dexter, The Georgia Association of Railroad Passengers