GDOT seeking your input on proposed Atlanta-Savannah passenger rail route

Survey open through August 6 asks Georgians about travel time, cost, and routes as leaders push for a Macon stop

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Passenger rail service could return to Macon for the first time in more than 50 years.

The Georgia Department of Transportation is studying a proposed passenger train route connecting Atlanta and Savannah and is asking for public input as part of the process.

A public survey, open through August 6, asks residents about travel time, cost, possible routes, and how often they would use the service.

Robert Reichert, former Macon-Bibb County mayor and chairman of the I 75 Central Corridor Coalition, says the feedback will help shape key decisions including which route is ultimately selected.

“We think that the route between Atlanta, Macon, and Savannah is the route that should be chosen and the impact that it could have on Macon for years, decades into the future,” Reichert said.

Reichert says including Macon could connect the city to travelers from across the country and around the world.

“Think about the people, especially if there was a station as is currently planned at Hartsfield-Jackson [International Airport],” Reichert said. “People from all over the world would fly into Hartsfield Jackson, take the train and come down to Macon and Savannah.”

He added the project could also tie into a larger national rail network.

Macon-Bibb County Commissioner Stanley Stewart says bringing passenger rail back would help continue the city’s growth.

“It will bring the world to Macon, and I’ve often said that I want to see Macon become a world class city upon the Ocmulgee, and this is part of the puzzle,” Stewart said. “It’s one of the many pieces to make us go in that direction.”

Local leaders are encouraging people in Macon and across Middle Georgia to take part in the survey as GDOT continues studying possible routes.

The public comment period runs through August 6. The survey is available here.