ATLANTA — Among the projects highlighted Friday in a package of $8.2 billion in rail funds announced by the Biden administration is a high-speed rail line to connect Atlanta and Charlotte.
The project was listed among several included in a fact sheet issued by the administration. They money comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed in 2021.
There were few details available on future plans for the line. It was described in the fact sheet as a "new high-speed rail corridor linking the Southeast and providing connection to Hartsfield-Jackson Airport, the busiest airport in the world."
It's unclear how much money would be directed to the proposed line to make it a reality or when work on such a project would begin.
The line is part of the Corridor ID program, which stems from the infrastructure law. In addition to the high-speed rail line from Atlanta to Charlotte, the Corridor ID project selections for further development include conventional rail lines that would connect Atlanta to Savannah and Atlanta to Chattanooga with further service to Nashville and Memphis.
A day before the Biden administration announcement, Georgia Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock had announced $500,000 federal awards to study the development of the Atlanta-Charlotte, Atlanta-Savannah and Atlanta-Chattanooga corridors.
Those grants will "fund efforts to explore three new passenger rail routes across Georgia and into neighboring states" a release said.
“Through the bipartisan infrastructure law, Senator Warnock and I are accelerating progress toward passenger rail networks to serve Georgia and the Southeast region. This is a long-term project that will require cooperation and strong execution at all levels of government, but it has the potential to unlock huge gains in mobility and quality of life for Georgians,” Sen. Ossoff said in a statement.
Sen. Warnock added the routes "would be a boon to our state and economy" and that he is "thrilled to announce new investments to explore three new passenger rail corridors in Georgia, and I’m glad to work with Senator Ossoff to get this done."