Amtrak seeks nearly $30 million to build intercity rail station in downtown Atlanta – WSB-TV Channel 2

Diving into the specifics of Atlanta, Amtrak is applying for a federal grant to build a new intercity passenger rail station, along with supporting infrastructure.

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The report said infrastructure investments would include separate lanes for passenger service and cargo operations, each operating independently.

Part of the need for an upgrade also depends on the current age of the Atlanta station. The report states that Atlant Station was built in 1918 “as a commuter station designed to accommodate a small number of passengers.”

The current Amtrak station, due to the way it was originally built, “features an undersized waiting room; No Parking; difficult access to its single platform from the station building above, posing a particular challenge for disabled passengers; and a lack of connectivity to local transit options.

To better meet the needs of its passengers, Amtrak wants to create a new, modern station to serve customers on the Crescent Route, connecting Atlanta with New Orleans, Birmingham, Charlotte, Washington and New York.

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Amtrak’s report says that if they can build a rail hub in the right place and pair it with congestion-reducing infrastructure, a new Atlanta station could make it a hub for passenger trains long-distance lines that would connect both large cities and small communities across the southeastern United States.

To explain the nearly $30 million request, Amtrak provided the following project details.

For fiscal year 2025, Amtrak is requesting $29.9 million for planning work and acquisition of key properties currently under threat of development.

Over the life of the initiative, Amtrak said approximately $700 million would be needed for the longer-term construction of a new intercity passenger rail station in downtown Atlanta, as well as for infrastructure who accompanies him.

As proposed, the Atlanta Hub would ultimately connect downtown Atlanta to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, Macon, Savannah, Chattanooga, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, Memphis, Tennessee, Greenville, South Carolina, Charlotte , North Carolina, Birmingham, Alabama, Meridian, Mississippi and New Orleans, Louisiana, among others.

The exact set of destinations depends on corridor development and federal investments, according to the Amtrak document.

If the approximately $30 million is approved for fiscal year 2025, Amtrak said the funding could support several first-phase activities, such as preliminary engineering work and obtaining project authorizations required by federal law .

Amtrak would also use the funding to purchase properties that could be developed in the near future to preserve the rail right-of-way for the future Hub Station site.

Expressing hope for the project in Atlanta and others across the country, Gardner said “the impacts of these generational improvements will be immense, not only for our transportation network, but also for jobs and the economy . We and our partners are finally tackling major challenges that have remained unanswered for decades; with patience, consistency and continued federal support, we will deliver these complex capital projects and improve or expand service across the country.

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