Lovejoy to Atlanta Rail Line Update                 "News Update"

With a planned Lovejoy-to-Atlanta connection on the cusp of implementation, and a Downtown Atlanta Multimodal Passenger Terminal (MMPT) in the works, Georgia stands ready to catch up with other states in reducing traffic congestion and improving air quality through the use of commuter rail.

Twenty-six miles of existing freight tracks between Atlanta and Lovejoy will be refashioned, allowing 60-mph travel by four passenger trains. The service is projected to begin in September 2006.

The trains, each with three to four double-deck cars, will make stops in Lovejoy, Jonesboro, Morrow, Forest Park, East Point and Downtown Atlanta. Trains will operate every 30-40 minutes, making the end-to-end trip in 46 minutes, competitive with rush hour drive times on US19/41 and I-75/85 Connector.

By 2009, the service is expected to carry 3,000 passengers per day, 250 days a year for a total of 770,000 trips. That will eliminate 21 million vehicle miles traveled per year, saving 800,000 hours of driving.

The Lovejoy connection will terminate at the planned Multimodal Passenger Terminal in Atlanta. The rail line and terminal represent major steps in the Georgia Rail Passenger Program (GRPP), a plan to provide new options to Atlanta-region commuters and others who wish to travel longer distances, but not by car.

Download the Lovejoy Rail Line Proposal for more details.

The Multimodal Passenger Terminal

The MMPT will be the region’s major passenger terminal with facilities for new commuter rail and intercity rail services, including Amtrak, as well as intercity and regional express buses (Greyhound, GRTA Xpress, Cobb County, Clayton County, Gwinnett County, and MARTA).

The terminal’s location in Downtown Atlanta has evolved to include much of the “Gulch,” an area between Forsyth Street and Centennial Olympic Park Drive. The MMPT lies immediately west of the MARTA Five Points Station, the hub of the Atlanta region’s rapid rail system, and sits at the crossroads of various railroads serving the Atlanta region and the Southeast.

The MMPT facilities will consist of the following components:

• Main Terminal – accommodating trains of both the Georgia Rail Passenger Program and Amtrak along with the Regional Commuter Bus Terminal A-North (10 stalls) above the tracks and terminal concourse
• Regional Commuter Bus Terminal B-South (10 stalls) – on top of the MMPT parking deck (700 spaces)
• Intercity Bus Terminal – on top of the replacement parking deck (replace the existing 1,850-space CNN deck and accommodating the new commuter rail track layout)
• Pedestrian Connections – to MARTA Five Points and Philips Arena Stations and between the Regional Bus Terminal B-South and the Main Terminal
• New Roadways – extension of Alabama Street and construction of a new street between the Alabama Street extension and MLK Drive

The MMPT management team includes executives of the Georgia Rail Passenger Program partners – the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT), the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA), and the Georgia Rail Passenger Authority (GRPA).

The MMPT Concept Design Report was adopted by the management team in February 2002 as the official Concept Design of the MMPT. The next step of the process is production of a Schematic Design for all components of the facility. Schematic Design, a critical step to Preliminary and Final Design, is necessary to ensure the feasibility of the design concept, identify salient features, create aesthetic intent, confirm constructability, establish project control points, set project and real estate needs limits, identify appropriate design and construction phasing components and identify the appropriate project delivery method for each phase of implementation.

For additional information visit www.garail.com.

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