A High Speed Rail Line Between Atlanta & Charlotte is Under Study

The Georgia Department of Transportation has laid out six possible plans to link the cities of Atlanta and Charlotte via high speed rail.

A study is now underway, funded by both state and federal government, to determine the viability of such a route. Currently there are 20 direct daily flights between the two cities.

According to the D.O.T. the six routes include:

1. The Norfolk Southern line is the north-most possibility. It would run through Doraville, Suwanee, Toccoa and Greenville.

2. The CSX Athens route would go through Lawrenceville and Athens before heading to Charlotte.

3. The CSX Augusta route would head east before turning north and connect Augusta and Columbia.

4. The I-85 corridor route will follow I-85 all the way north.

5. The other interstate possibility follows I-20 and then I-77. The route will also go through Augusta and Columbia.

6. Nicknamed the "Greenfield" option, this corridor would allow for a grade separated rail line, something preferred for optimal speed on high speed rail.

If constructed the Atlanta line would connect to a high speed line under construction between Washington D.C. and Charlotte.