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Columbus, Ga., Mayor Teresa Tomlinson recently formed a Passenger Rail Commission to help promote the city as part of a future passenger-rail line in the state.

Georgia’s first passenger-rail line likely would run from Atlanta to Macon via Griffin, according to Gordon Kenna, chief executive officer of Georgians for Passenger Rail, who was named a commission member.

“While Columbus may not be the first city connected to any Georgia passenger-rail line, we have to know whether we should be the second, third or fourth city to be on the line,” said Tomlinson in a prepared statement. “We can't sit on the sidelines and let Georgia's transportation future pass us by.”

Other commission members include Calvin Smyre, state representative; Ed Harbison, state senator; David Arrington, deputy city manager; Joel Harrell, Norfolk Southern Railway resident vice president; David Millen, Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) district engineer; and Alan Ware, GDOT’s rail planning and policy specialist.