Atlanta officials are pushing plans for a new Amtrak station downtown, hoping to capitalize on the neighborhood's ongoing revitalization to deliver a regional rail hub city leaders have wanted for years.
A study by the Atlanta Regional Commission about where to put the station comes as Amtrak seeks federal funding for a southern hub. The public is being asked to provide input with the goal of identifying a site by the end of the year. Officials see a limited window of opportunity before private development advances too far.
A new downtown location fits into Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens' efforts to bring more people to the neighborhood. The $5 billion Centennial Yards project is transforming the once-vacant "Gulch," with affordable housing projects underway and the city's first municipal grocery store now open. Since the 1970s, the city's only intercity passenger rail station has been the historic Brookwood stop on Peachtree Street — which is small, difficult to access, lacks disability accessibility, and sits about a mile from the nearest MARTA station.
This latest study will examine the space between North Avenue and Memorial Drive, extending from Vine Street west to Jackson Street east — an area that includes the Greyhound bus station and nine MARTA stops. Norfolk Southern and CSX freight lines have complicated past relocation efforts, though both companies have expressed openness to a downtown location and want exploration of a dedicated passenger rail track. Amtrak requested just under $30 million from Congress to build the station; the current Brookwood stop served over 78,000 passengers in fiscal year 2024.
City Council member Jason Winston secured legislation allocating $125,000 from the city for the study, supplementing $625,000 from the Atlanta Regional Commission. Future rail expansion — including a studied Atlanta-to-Savannah route and proposed connections to the Carolinas, Mississippi, and Tennessee — depends partly on securing a viable downtown station site.
Source: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
