Stop in Rome is one of 3 potential routes for passenger train between Atlanta, Chattanooga

A stop in Rome would boost ridership on highspeed passenger rail service between Atlanta and Chattanooga, according to a Georgia Department of Transportation study, but Cartersville will likely remain the preferred route.

All of the routes selected for environmental review start out through Catoosa, Whitfield and Gordon counties and come into Atlanta along Interstate 75 in Cobb and Fulton counties.

Studies have been underway since at least 2008, but there has been little movement for several years. Now, GDOT is scheduling three public information open houses — in Dalton, Atlanta and Chattanooga — in mid-November, to unveil its latest findings.

The Tier 1 Draft Environmental Impact Statement is aimed at narrowing the study areas to a single corridor. Among the reasons for the project are to expand regional travel options beyond planes and cars, improve air quality and open up new economic development opportunities.

Three corridors advanced from the initial screening process: I-75, which essentially follows the interstate; East, which runs through eastern Whitfield County, near Chatsworth, and near Fairmount in Gordon County; and I-75/Rome, which follows the interstate but contains a spur into Floyd County.

• The I-75 route is noted as the “highest performing.” It would run under Atlanta, and then track the highway’s right of way, with stations in the Cumberland/Galleria mall area, Town Center, Cartersville and Dalton. The ride would take about 88 minutes and have an estimated ridership of 11,725 by 2040. Construction cost is projected at $8.76 billion, in 2014 dollars.

• Adding the Rome spur would lengthen the trip by 15 minutes, but bring the ridership estimate to 13,204 — another 1,479 people a day. However, GDOT projects a cost of about $9.81 billion and findings indicate the route would affect more parkland, wetlands and streams than the other two alternatives.

• The East corridor is listed as the least promising route. The trip would only take 95 minutes but the ridership estimate is low, at 8,556 people a day, and the cost is high, at $10.42 billion. It also has the most historic sites and threatened or endangered habitats that would be affected.

GDOT also looked at no-build alternatives as required for federal EIS studies. They would include some improvements to existing roads but they’re not being recommended.

“None of the no-build alternative projects alone or in aggregate will enhance passenger mobility throughout the project area between the metropolitan areas and airports of Atlanta and Chattanooga as specified in the project purpose,” the summary reads.

Once the public comment period has ended, GDOT and its Tennessee counterpart will prepare a final environmental impact statement with a decision on the preferred route.

Officials said there won’t be a decision at this point on the type of train that would be used: The steel-wheeled variety used in much of Europe and Asia or the newer maglev (magnetic levitation) train being tested in Japan, China and Germany.

“When a technology is selected, the selected alignment will be refined to optimize the operation of the selected technology,” the report states.

The drop-in open houses are scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. on Nov. 15 in Atlanta, 600 W. Peachtree St. NW; on Nov. 16 in Chattanooga, 1250 Market St.; and on Nov. 17 in Dalton, 300 W. Waugh St.

Written comments also may be submitted through Nov. 22 to Ms. Ariel Hacker, project manager; Division of Intermodal Georgia DOT; 600 W. Peachtree St. NW; 16th Floor; Atlanta, Ga. 30308.

The studies so far have been funded by federal grants. Funding for the next phase of the project has not yet been identified.