Is Chattanooga actually going to get a passenger rail?
Years of studies without action has made a new rail line seem far-fetched. But new federal funding and support from state agencies has put regional rail back on track.
Graphic by Ian-Alijah Bey
By William Newlin
A couple weeks ago, we reported on TDOT’s ambitious plan to make the Interstate 75/Interstate 24 split less of a traffic headache. While there’s optimism for the highway expansion (and some skepticism whether it will actually solve the problem for good), what if there was an entirely different way to get to Atlanta — or Nashville, or Louisville, or even New Orleans? Yes, we’re talking about trains.
In March, the City of Chattanooga, alongside Memphis, Nashville, and Atlanta, applied for federal funds to study a passenger rail route between the cities. That got the metaphorical train wheels turning. A subsequent report from a Tennessee state agency endorsed the application. It called the Nashville-Atlanta connection “the most viable Tennessee route” and kept the train hype chugging full steam ahead.
It's not the first time regional governments and other agencies have considered similar routes — see this study, this study, and this study. But Eric Asboe, the public engagement coordinator for the City of Chattanooga, said the recent momentum is still encouraging.
“Chattanooga has a history of rail and a history that we should be excited about and proud of,” Asboe said. “It's something that can happen again here in the city, and it's going to take a lot of us continuing to move it forward over the coming years, and a lot of people continue to be excited about the potential to make it happen.”
Moving it forward likely involves using existing rail lines — like the heavy freight system criss-crossing the Southeast — mapping out new infrastructure needs and figuring how much it would all cost. But with Amtrak service already connecting Atlanta to New Orleans and Memphis to Chicago, a robust Tennessee route would theoretically allow Chattanoogans to go from Seattle to Miami, all by train.
Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly mentioned the recent inter-city funding application in his State of the City address. While he said support from Amtrak, the state, and Tennessee’s senators makes the new discussions more promising, he added a caveat: “I just hope I’m alive to see it.”
Email william@chattamatters.com with additional questions about passenger rail or anything else in Chattanooga.