Atlanta-to-Charlotte high-speed rail corridor to be subject of public scoping meetings

The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) will host three public scoping meetings next week as part of the Atlanta-to-Charlotte Passenger-Rail Corridor Investment Plan.

The meetings are part of the process to prepare a Tier 1 environmental impact statement (EIS) for the study of potential high-speed rail service between Atlanta and Charlotte, N.C. GDOT, which is leading the investment plan project on behalf of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), will complete an EIS in "tiers" of environmental review, department officials said in a prepared statement posted on the agency's website.

The Tier 1 EIS will describe the need for, and purpose of, the project, and will identify potential corridor alternatives, station locations and service levels.

The project team will consider potential environmental, economic and social effects on each corridor alternative. They also will conduct a conceptual engineer and financial analysis to determine ridership, cost and revenue estimates. GDOT officials will use the information to select a preferred project alternative.

The Atlanta-to-Charlotte high-speed corridor is part of the FRA's regional high-speed rail initiative called the Southeast High-Speed Rail Network that extends north to Washington, D.C.

The public scoping meetings will be held June 4 in Suwanee, Ga.; June 5 in Greer, S.C.; and June 6 in Charlotte.