MACON, Ga. — Nowadays, the Macon Terminal Station is used for office space and events. However, it was once a hub for travel.
Former Macon-Bibb Mayor Robert Reichert says driving nowadays is a nightmare.
“It has resulted in so many people, and so much congestion, and so much traffic now," he said.
But it hasn't always been that way.
“The Nancy Hanks. That was a passenger train that used to run between Atlanta and Savannah on a regular basis – a couple of times a day. That fell by the wayside in 1972 and was discontinued,” Reichert explained. “We've been in love with the automobile ever since."
So, if your destination is too far to drive and too close to fly, then what are your options? Well, Reichert says that passenger railways are the future of transportation.
“An inner-city passenger rail will promote economic development in communities with a station or a stop,” he said.
Now, the state is $1.5 million closer to bringing one to Georgia.
U.S. Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock granted the money to accelerate plans to build three Georgia passenger rail routes, $500,000 to each route.
One proposed route is from Atlanta to Savannah, which could come through Macon, Reichert said.
“The best way to get between Atlanta and Savannah is to come through Macon,” Reichert laughed.
The other proposed routes connect Atlanta to North Carolina and Atlanta to Chattanooga, Nashville, and Memphis. On that route, Macon would be considered a stop, and Reichert says it could be a boon for the county's economy.
“This is absolutely huge for connecting Macon to the rest of the county,” Reichert said.
Macon Chamber of Commerce CEO Jessica Walden says this is a huge economic opportunity.
“The Interstate has always bypassed us. It doesn’t bring you right into downtown,” she explained.
So, with the train station sitting right in downtown, people would be in the heart of everything.
“We're across from the Tubman Museum, we're diagonal from Visit Macon. I mean, you step out of the terminal station– the secret's gonna be out if this rail project takes place,” Walden said.
Reichert says we are years away from a passenger railway. He thinks the project could bring as much statewide economic success as Hartsfield Jackson.
He says possible alternative stops for the Atlanta-Savannah line are Athens and Augusta. The $500,000 grant will identify possible routes which is the next step in the planning.
Reichert says the community needs to play a role in the initiative, helping convince legislators and the governor to pick Macon to be a stop along the route.
He says for folks interested in advocating for the passenger rail line, you can join the ‘Georgians for Passenger Rail’ group, hosted out of NewTown Macon.