(The following story by Duane D. Stanford and Walter Woods appeared on The Atlanta Journal-Constitution website on March 10.)
ATLANTA — A plan to build a commuter rail line from Atlanta to Lovejoy got a boost of adrenaline Tuesday when Norfolk Southern said it wanted to operate the line and could get passengers moving by late next year.
Members of the State Transportation Board’s intermodal committee, enthusiastic about the railroad’s support, agreed to ask the full board next week to authorize negotiations with Norfolk Southern — with or without Gov. Sonny Perdue’s permission.
If the state doesn’t begin construction soon, more than $70 million in federal funds set aside for the line could be thrown back into the national pot when Congress authorizes a new six-year transportation spending bill. That’s expected to happen sometime this year.
“We’re going to lose these monies if we continue to vacillate,” said board member Emory McClinton during Tuesday’s committee meeting. He chairs the intermodal committee, which considers transit proposals.
In November the state Department of Transportation proposed building the $106 million line by September 2006 as a way to jump-start the state’s long delayed commuter rail program.
But officials still are awaiting a green light from the governor to begin negotiating with the railroad, which owns the freight track that would be upgraded for the 26-mile passenger line, to run south of Atlanta.
The department sought Perdue’s blessing because the governor has power to block the state funds needed to operate the system.
The governor has said only that he is concerned about who will pay the roughly $5 million a year in operating and maintenance subsidies needed for the line. Norfolk Southern officials have said they do not want to spend time and effort negotiating if the state isn’t serious about moving forward. The railroad’s lobbyist, Joel Harrell, said a directive from the board would be taken as “sincere interest” on the state’s part, adding, “And we’re going to sit down at the table and start talking.”
Perdue spokeswoman Loretta Lepore said Tuesday that communication between the department and the governor’s staff regarding commuter rail was “fluid” and that they were “working together on the issue.”
The Lovejoy line would include five stops on its way to downtown Atlanta. The state would build a scaled-down terminal near the Five Points MARTA station. The Transportation Department is ready to buy the land, which dates back to Atlanta’s earliest start as a rail junction.
The Multi-Modal Passenger Terminal Facility could be the hub for passenger railroads crisscrossing Georgia and bus lines rolling through the city and suburbs. The project also may draw a marquee office tower. Developer Cousins Properties owns the “air” rights to build above property near the station.
At the same time, Virginia-based Norfolk Southern is itching to get out of its aging regional offices near the site and hopes the state will buy some of its land as part of the deal.
Operating the passenger service would be a first for Norfolk Southern, which has yet to tap into that field, as have other railroads across the country, Harrell said.
He said contracting with the railroad to upgrade the track, refurbish rail cars and operate the trains would shave months off the time it would take to open the line.
Board member Dana Lemon said the decision to begin negotiations now would not mean the department was writing off Perdue’s support.
“The reality is, the consensus is necessary,” Lemon said. “It would be irresponsible for us to start a program that we cannot continue.”