Because of its importance to our community, I’m dedicating a third column to transportation; this time, a macro approach.

A statewide network of passenger trains may be coming down the tracks of Georgia’s future. Georgians for Passenger Rail (GPR), a new group of business and community leaders, is advocating for train service connecting major cities in our state. Remember the Brain Train group of some years ago? GPR is picking up where they left off. The Brain Train‘s mission was to connect the University of Georgia with Atlanta Universities and high density pockets of development centered around the train stations.

Macon already has federal funding to partially finance a line to Atlanta. Gordon McKenna, Executive Director of GPR, told the Athens Banner Herald that an Athens to Atlanta line could be the next priority after Macon. They would eventually like to see connections among Savannah, Columbus and Albany.

Why would we want more trains rumbling and whistling through Barrow County? McKenna believes that passenger trains will "provide transportation options, lessen reliance on foreign oil, ease tensions between urban and rural areas and share metro Atlanta’s prosperity with the rest of the state." Results of an updated study are expected in February. The Georgia Transit Association argues that an integrated, expanded transit system would attract businesses to our state by making it easier to get around.

Several years ago we heard talk of a train station being a possibility in Winder, perhaps near the old mill building or across from the Winder Golf Course. We may not desire a train ride to Athens, but I imagine there would be wide interest in commuters traveling to Atlanta. If the train connected to MARTA, it would offer easy access to the Atlanta airport and other destinations downtown. And high-speed passenger rail lines built between Atlanta and cities such as Birmingham and Chicago would extend our travel reach even further.

I recall my Uncle reminiscing about a train trip from the Midwest to Florida as a child in the 1020s. In that relaxed setting he spent time with a group of Georgia Tech students who serenaded him with their Ramblin’ Wreck song. Long ago, there was a gentility to train travel, with its dining cars and sleeper accommodations. Some of that ambience remains.

My own senior trip in high school took me on a train ride from Michigan to Washington, DC. We had a blast on the rails!

Internationally, advocates have pushed for less focus on road projects and more attention on multi-modal transport solutions, such as high-quality, low-cost mass transit.

In a 2005 Ode magazine article, Jay Walljasper, wisely said, "I believe people in Eastern Europe and Asia and someday even North America - where car culture was born and remains stubbornly embedded - will eventually discover an important truth: The auto is at its best and its most useful as just one of many ways to get around."

Going a step further, Ode quotes Randy Ghent, co-founder of World Carfree Network, "…the automobile should not determine how we build our communities." Granted, few Americans are willing to abandon their cars, but this different way of thinking has its merits and should be a consideration in our future planning.

How can we make convenient passenger rail service a reality? According to an Athens Banner-Herald article in December, Georgia legislative leaders claim they will reach an agreement this year to allow voters in multicounty regions to pass a 1-percent sales tax earmarked for transportation. The tax, however, could only be spent on capital projects like road construction, unless changes are made in the current bill. A 2005 Ode magazine article touted the idea of balanced transportation policies, where governments invest in transit, sidewalks and bikeways, rather than pouring all their money into more roads.

A recent article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution stated that Georgia has done little for passenger rail. "MARTA, in a financial crisis, remains the only major transit system in the US that receives no sustained funding from its state government, according to transit officials." Unless state officials and legislators are convinced otherwise, we may fall further behind.

The AJC article also reported that President Obama’s $8 billion high-speed rail stimulus presented an opportunity that all but slipped past Georgia. States like North Carolina and Florida received large amounts (($545 million and $1.25 billion, respectively), likely helped by their own state’s financial commitment to passenger rail. Georgia got $750,000 for feasibility studies on three proposed lines.

I do wish we were further along in our implementation of more train service.

Adapting to the different mindset of passenger rail may not come easily to independent Americans. But our roads can only handle so many cars. And traffic will likely only get worse. We should think beyond our sedans and see the benefits that train service can bring: a pleasant alternative, an investment in our future.