Dozens turn out for look at proposed commuter rail routes that could include Athens | Online Athens

SUWANEE — Nearly 75 people attended a public meeting Tuesday to gain information and to comment on the six proposed routes for a high-speed rail line between Atlanta and Charlotte, N.C.

One of the proposals would go through Athens. A different one would go through Augusta and Columbia, S.C.

The meeting, held at a city building in Suwanee because it’s the site of a likely station, was the first of a series of meetings in three states during the early phases of planning the train line. Significant details, such as the cost of construction and the price of a passenger ticket, remain to be worked out, including which entity would actually own and run the railroad.

The biggest question, how to pay for it, will be left to the politicians sometime in 2015 after the $4 million study is completed.

Most of the people looking at the maps and asking questions were from metro Atlanta, but a vanload from Athens came to campaign for the city’s inclusion.

“We’re lobbying for a route that will connect Athens to the line,” said Doc Eldridge, president of the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce.

via Dozens turn out for look at proposed commuter rail routes that could include Athens | Online Athens.