Commuter Rail Plan Update
R.L. Banks & Associates, Inc.
Transportation Engineers and Economists
Washington, DC and Tiburon, CA
In Association With
Columbia, SC and San Francisco, CA
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Study Purpose
Update ridership and cost analysis from
previous studies to support the Transit
Planning Board’s efforts to develop a
regional transit network.
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Steering Committee Members:
Co-Chairs & Elected Officials
Co-chairs
Michael Robison;
Lanier Holdings CEO, Metro Atlanta Chamber Transit Committee co-chair
Doug Tollett;
American Resurgens Management Company President, TPB Vice Chair
Elected Officials:
Hon. Tommy Allegood, Mayor of Acworth
Hon. Keith Brady, Mayor of Newnan
Hon. Jill Chambers, House Transportation Committee member
Hon. John Douglas, Senate Transportation Committee member
Hon. Bill Dunaway, Mayor of Marietta
Hon. Harold Logsdon, Mayor of Peachtree City
Hon. Sam Olens, ARC Board Chair
Hon. Gary Peet, Mayor of Stone Mountain
Hon. Jere Wood, Mayor of Roswell
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Steering Committee Members
Richard Bowers, Richard Bowers & Co President
Craig Camuso, CSX Transportation Public Affairs Regional Vice President
Chip Cherry, Greater Macon Chamber of Commerce President
Robert Dallas, Governor's Office of Highway Safety Director
Sonny Deriso, GRTA Board Chair
Patty Durand, Georgia Chapter of the Sierra Club President
Doc Eldridge, Athens Area Chamber of Commerce President
Scotty Greene, Buckhead Community Improvement District Executive Director
Oscar Harris, Turner Associates CEO
Doug Hooker, PBS&J Southern States Director
John Izard, Cushman & Wakefield President
Ben Johnson, Alston & Bird Managing Partner
Gordon Kenna, Georgia Concrete and Products Association Executive Director
Glenn Kurtz, Lanier Parking Holdings Vice President of Alternative
Transportation
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Steering Committee Members
Craig Lewis, Norfolk Southern Vice President
Michael Mandl, Emory University Executive Vice President
Ryland N. McClendon, MARTA Assistant General Manager of Planning
Jim Maran, Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce President
Emory Morsberger, The Morsberger Group President
Karen Webster Parks, Regional Atlanta Civic League President
Steve Parks, Georgia Highway Contractors Association Executive Director
Dr. Carl Patton, Georgia State University President
Kay Pippin, Henry County Chamber of Commerce President
AJ Robinson, Central Atlanta Progress President
Jerome Russell, Russell Urban Realty President
Jack Seibert, CH2MHill Project Engineer
Shane Short, Clayton County Chamber of Commerce President
Timothy Stack, Piedmont Hospital President
Dr. Jim Wagner, Emory University President
Larry Walker, GDOT Board member
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Current Commuter Rail Study
• 7 lines between
Atlanta and:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Athens (CSX)
Lovejoy-Macon (NS)
Gainesville (NS)
Madison (CSX)
Bremen (NS)
Senoia (CSX)
Canton (CSX)
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Study Summary
• Commuter rail is feasible on all seven corridors
• Estimates potential ridership through
combination of corridor modeling and analysis of
peer cities with existing commuter rail
• Results show that all proposed commuter rail
lines could enjoy the same level of success as
the peer cities
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Peer City Review: 10 of the 13 Most Populated US Metro
Areas Have Commuter Rail
U.S. Metro Areas Ranked
by Population
Commuter Rail?
(Yes/No)
1.
New York
Yes
2.
Los Angeles
Yes
3.
Chicago
Yes
4.
Philadelphia
Yes
5.
Dallas
Yes
6.
Miami
Yes
7.
Houston
No
8.
Washington, DC
Yes
9.
Atlanta
No
10. Detroit
No
11. Boston
Yes
12. San Francisco
Yes
13. Riverside-Bernardino
Yes
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Peer City Review
Systems studied:
– Los Angeles
(Metrolink)
– Dallas-Fort Worth
(TRE)
– Southern Florida
(TriRail)
– Northern
Virginia/Washington
DC (VRE)
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Peer Systems Ridership Trends
1990-2006
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Commuter rail ridership forecasts based on:
1. Number of employees living within the
commuter rail "catchment" area
2. Number of those employees' employment
destinations served by the commuter rail line
3. The propensity for those employees to choose
commuter rail as their travel mode
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Study Summary: Ridership Estimates
Rail Corridor
Athens
Bremen
Canton
Gainesville
Macon
Madison
Senoia
Daily Work Trips
Served by Corridor
135,756
52,975
98,347
99,655
110,283
111,981
62,304
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Daily Ridership Estimate
(3 Trains/Peak Period)
3,000-3,700
1,600-2,200
2,300-3,400
1,200-2,500
1,700-2,200
3,200-4,700
1,200-1,700
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Study Summary: Commuter Rail Costs
Rail Corridor
Athens
Bremen
Canton
Gainesville
Macon
Madison
Senoia
Capital Costs
$471 million
$157 million
$144 million
$144 million
$366 million
$150 million
$106 million
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Operation and
Maintenance Costs
$15 million
$11.7 million
$10.6 million
$11.7 million
$17.2 million
$13.9 million
$ 9.2 million
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Factors NOT Considered in this Study:
• Increased likelihood for commuters to opt for rail
over automobiles as gas prices increase
• Affect of land-use changes on population
patterns as commuter rail stations become
active
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Study Summary: Conclusion
• This report reaffirms commuter rail as an
attainable, viable means to connect Georgia
communities using updated demographic
information.
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