High-speed rail from Atlanta to Jacksonville feasible, study says

ATLANTA - Running high-speed, passenger rail lines between Atlanta and Jacksonville, Louisville and Birmingham is economically feasible, according to a consultant's study presented Wednesday to the State Transportation Board.

The Jacksonville line should be built in two phases, first to Savannah, and then to the Northeast Florida city, consultant HNTB recommended in its study. Possible stations along the route would include Griffin, Macon, Savannah and Brunswick. The feasibility study was the first of many long steps in setting the final course of the train routes and securing funding.

The three routes were studied after an earlier study showed the feasibility of a route from Atlanta to Charlotte. That project is now in the stage of estimating the environmental impact of possible paths.

Construction of any of the lines is likely to be many years in the future. But the Obama administration has made high-speed passenger rail a priority and provided funds for exploring routes.

Fares between Atlanta and Jacksonville would range between $119.41 and $152.24. Construction would cost from $5 billion to $16 billion, or $11.5 million to $41 million for each mile. That compared to $54 million per mile as the top range of the estimate on the Atlanta-to-Birmingham route.

The final cost depends on the type of tracks chosen. Sharing existing tracks with freight lines would be the least expensive but could result in train delays. A dedicated, high-speed track would be the costliest option but might draw more riders.

The corridor for high-speed rail the federal government sketched between Atlanta and Jacksonville bypasses Savannah, but the consultants included it to tap more potential riders and to connect to a federal corridor planned along I-95.

Atlanta and Jacksonville are both planning downtown stations where passengers could switch from the high-speed trains to local transit.

"Positive operating ratios indicate an ability to pay down debt services and bonds and can lead to reduced reliance on public-investment subsidies," the consultants wrote. "Additionally, operating surpluses on an annual basis may finances a 'rail maintenance fund,' requiring less investment in future years for capital maintenance costs."

They note that such potential could entice private investors to underwrite part of the project.

walter.jones@morris.com, (404) 589-8424