12-10-2023 8:48pm

Taking a Train from Macon to Atlanta or Savannah: Pipe Dream or Future Reality?

Nate Weeks Editor

Macon's Terminal Station could one day be a bustling hub for passenger trains (Photographer Nate Weeks)

Passenger rail that connects Macon to Atlanta and Savannah has been discussed for many years. It often seems like a pipe dream for Middle Georgia for as long as it has been talked about with no progress to be seen.

Passenger rail could help people avoid overcrowded and dangerous roads, decrease pollution from too many vehicles on the road, and help people struggling to pay for very increasing car insurance prices.

Senators Reverend Warnock and Jon Ossoff have recently championed three $500,000 grants funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that will further explore the creation of new commercial passenger rail corridors.

The grants will look into the viability of commercial passenger rail corridors that would connect Macon to Atlanta and Savannah as well as Atlanta to Charlotte, North Carolina, and major cities in Tennessee like Chattanooga.

So is it a pipe dream or will Middle Georgians one day be able to sit back and relax while traveling on passenger trains to cities like Atlanta or Savannah? Only time will tell but it is nice to be able to be hopeful for a future of better transportation options for our communities.