Chattanooga needs new, high-speed Choo-Choo for 21st century
David Magee Commentary
Online: Hear David Magee discuss a proposed high-speed regional rail line. Read his blogs. Comment. When I read the Philadelphia Phillies took the train to New York the other day for last night’s World Series game against the Yankees, I thought of Chattanooga. Reading about that mode of transportation, uncommon for major league teams these days, brought this story home for me, spurring my imagination about what would happen if Chattanooga gets its long-coveted highspeed rail line. Running initially from Chattanooga to Atlanta if government funding ever becomes a reality, the rail line would serve as a foundation for the region the way that riverfront development centers Chattanooga’s downtown core today. The good news is that nobody has to sell U.S. Sen. Bob Corker or U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, both Tennessee Republicans, on this project. Each has been actively involved in trying to coax their colleagues in Washington, D.C., on board. Decades ago, federal funding of the country’s interstate and electrical systems charted a century of growth for the nation. However, the current smart-grid electric infrastructure program instituted by Washington is the first meaningful infrastructure program on the national level in years. As things now stand, our rail lines are aged and outdated, and vehicle traffic is burning oil and emitting pollution. Except for long-established rail lines in crowded urban corridors, we haven’t been good in this country for years at moving masses of people quickly and efficiently by rail. That’s why I was intrigued that the Phillies took the train to New York. Gee, I thought, what a novelty. We can only hope that getting from one point to another and back by train won’t be such a novelty in the future, at least in these parts. Chattanooga, whose fame grew from a popular Glenn Miller song in the 20th century, needs a new Choo-Choo in the 21st. E-mail David Magee at dmagee@timesfreepress.com.
