Local maglev project gets major U.S. grant
By Dave Flessner dflessner@timesfreepress.com
Online: Hear U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp talk about high-speed rail. Read previous stories. Comment. Plans for a modern, highspeed Chattanooga Choo-Choo picked up steam Thursday when federal officials agreed to fund a more detailed study of a proposed rail line between Atlanta and Chattanooga. U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, RTenn., announced that the Federal Transit Administration will provide $14.2 million to pay for environmental and engineering studies of a proposed magnetic levitation train route through North Georgia. The line will be among three routes in the eastern United States selected to share in part of $90 million that Congress set aside nearly two years ago for high-speed train studies. “This keeps us in the highspeed rail program nationally and allows the Atlanta-to-Chattanooga route to advance forward to the next level,” Rep. Wamp said. “Hopefully, this will eventually lead to high-speed rail service from Atlanta all the way to Chicago.” Rep. Wamp said the Obama administration appears ready to push for high-speed rail service, which he said could become part of America’s transportation future in another decade. The $90 million is the biggest chunk since Congress first appropriated money to study a maglev route from Atlanta to Chattanooga a decade ago. The Georgia Department of Transportation will administer the grant to conduct environmental impact assessments of possible routes and train stations along the 120-mile path. Joe Ferguson, director of special projects for the Enterprise Center and a consultant for Chattanooga’s high-speed rail plans, called the federal grant “a game changer” that should help propel the project forward. Chattanooga Mayor Ron Littlefield, a longtime advocate of the high-speed train between Atlanta and Chattanooga, has set aside $142,500 in his proposed fiscal 2010 city budget “to make sure we stay in the competition” for new rail routes. Zach Wamp
