Chattanooga Needs A Regional Rail
http://www.chattanoogan.com/2013/7/9...al-Rail--.aspx
I thought I'd post this commentary I noticed on the Chattanoogan's site. I don't know any of the folks that took time to write, but I think some excellent points were made.
First, to the thought of light (or heavy, ha) rail in Chattanooga - I certainly think it's a shame that a city known for its rail history has no passenger train service. I often dream of Chattanooga taking a
bold leap and starting some type of light rail running out to the 'burbs. For instance, a line to the airport and on to Ooltewah, a line through Red Bank and Hixson, and maybe even one to Fort Oglethorpe through St Elmo or East Ridge. I'm sure Nooga would be one of the smallest (if not THE smallest) cities in the US to try something like that. Of course, I'm not sure it's financially feasible. I would leave to see it spur dense development all along the lines and pull some people back in from the outer reaches of the metro area, but... would it? I just don't know.
Meanwhile, a direct rail connection to Atlanta - yes. I've supported that for years. Despite some thinking it would make us a glorified suburb of Atlanta, I think it should be done. It's a good two hour + drive to Hartsfield Aiport. If it could even be cut down to an hour, it might get some people on board (pardon the pun).
The idea of streetcars was also mentioned in that article, and it's another project I would probably support. The electric shuttles have been pretty successful downtown. If we could keep with electric transport running some of the existing bus routes, and get a few of the CARTA buses off the road, it would be great. I have some 1929 maps of Chattanooga - the height of the streetcar era - and it's amazing how great the mass transit was in the city back then. The biggest question would be, could they defeat the stigma associated with buses in a city like Chattanooga (mainly, that they're ridden by nothing but undesirables)?
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