Thursday, January 29, 2009
News Beltline debate pulled from meeting agenda, sit-down with AMTRAK set
Posted by Thomas Wheatley @thomaswheatley on Thu, Jan 29, 2009 at 10:41 PM
Transit Implementation Board Chairman Eldrin Bell was not about to let that agency's inaugural meeting today turn into a boxing match between the City of Atlanta and the Georgia Department of Transportation.
Much to the disappointment — or relief? — of those involved, Bell didn't allow the two sides to argue whether light-rail or heavy-rail should run along several miles of unused railroad tracks near Piedmont Park. GDOT and AMTRAK argue that the tracks are the only viable options if transit advocates want to see commuter rail and a long-planned downtown terminal. Officials for the Beltline, the planned 22-mile loop of parks, trails and transit, say there are alternatives and that commuter rail drastically alters the design that planners, neighborhoods and developers have crafted for the area.
Bell said he's hesitant to discuss the Beltline's future unless all the stakeholders were in the room.
"We will discuss the Beltline and commuter rail, but we will discuss it as a group," he said after the meeting.
Some of the players were waiting in the wings, however. Just in case. GDOT Commissioner Gena Evans, GDOT Boardmember Emory McClinton, and Atlanta Beltline Inc. CEO Terri Montague attended today's meeting. Evans said AMTRAK officials are scheduled to visit Atlanta on Feb. 2 to have a three-way "conversation" with the agency and ABI.
If you want to know everyone's opinion in this complicated mess, check out their most recent responses filed with the U.S. Surface Transportation Board, the federal agency that's serving as a sort of mediator. Here's AMTRAK's most recent filing. Here'sGDOT's.
In it, the state agency says the Atlanta-Griffin commuter rail line should be operational by 2012. If you recall, Gov. Sonny Perdue's recent budget proposal didn't include funding for that project. The project's been sitting on federal funds for years, but it's unclear whether that cash can be used unless the state dedicates funds to operate the line.
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