Wednesday, January 21, 2009
News Georgia rail group: Restore funding to Atlanta-Griffin line
Posted by Thomas Wheatley @thomaswheatley on Wed, Jan 21, 2009 at 5:26 PM
The Georgia Association of Rail Passengers has called for Gov. Sonny Perdue to restore funding for the Atlanta-Griffin commuter rail line that's been earmarked for federal dollars and which the governor said he'd support during last year's gas shortage. U.S. Rep. David Scott, D-Ga., has already scolded Perdue for not funding the line.
Passenger rail advocates are calling on the Georgia General Assembly to approve $15 million in funding for Atlanta-Griffin commuter rail line, despite Governor Sonny Perdue's failure to include the money in his budget."It's extremely unfortunate that the Governor went back on his promise to fund the Atlanta-Griffin line," said Steve Vogel, president of the Georgia Association of Railroad Passengers (GARP). "It also was a big mistake."
The federal government has $87 million set aside for the rail project, but it's been stalled for years by state government inaction. The Georgia Department of Transportation has asked for $15 million to get the project moving again.
Rest of the release is after the jump.
Vogel says $87 million in federal money would provide a needed boost to Georgia's economy. "In this recession," said Vogel, "it's more important than ever to get that federal money down to Georgia. We need to put Georgians back to work, building a commuter rail line that will benefit the state for generations to come."If work starts now, GARP says, commuter trains could be running in two years. "When the recession ends, gasoline prices will shoot back up," Vogel predicted. "If we start work on commuter rail now, we'll be much better prepared for that."
The Georgia Association of Railroad Passengers is an independent, all volunteer, non-profit corporation that advocates rail service as part of a balanced transportation system for Georgia.
In addition to the Atlanta-Griffin route, GARP advocates commuter rail lines linking Atlanta to Athens, Gainesville, Canton, Bremen, Senoia, Madison and many other Georgia communities, as well as increased Amtrak service for Georgia.
Latest in Fresh Loaf
-
'Ex-gays' gather outside Atlanta this weekend 6
Meanwhile human rights groups fight the notion that "ex-gay" is a thing
-
CNN cancels Atlanta debate 3
Everybody cry
-
ARC's new map of transportation-tax projects is suitable for framing 6
Voters will decide 1-cent sales tax measure in July
- More »
Author Archives
-
The Georgia Gold Dome's cast of characters 2
Meet the state's legislators, from Woodstock's unwavering conservative to Atlanta's romance novelist
-
Newt Gingrich wins union leader's — excuse us, Union Leader's — endorsement 2
Don't put it past him, says random, anonymous Internet commenter
- More »
Comments (0)