The rarely used railroad track that runs from downtown Chattanooga (ending at the Choo Choo) southward parallel to Highway 27 to Summerville, Ga., offers a golden opportunity for public transportation option for North Georgia residents who work in downtown Chattanooga. Currently commute times are nearly an hour for these residents who live in this area because Rossville Boulevard is their only option.

At nearly $4 a gallon surely some of the 10,000 employees working in or near downtown Chattanooga would take a train instead of drive. Train riders could work on their laptops, watch TV or workout on stationary bikes on their way to work. That sure beats sitting in rush-hour gridlock wasting gas and polluting the air.

Maybe the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum could offer the 1829 diesel train for a trial run on a weekday morning to see how many people would take the ride. In addition to going up to TVA, BlueCross and Unum, this ride also cuts through the Chickamauga Battlefield and goes by Nissan Brakes, Chickamauga Shaw and Northwestern Technical College.

The Maglov train wouldn’t be competition because it is going to go a completely different route close to I-75 and is 10 years away from completion. I think this train on a weekday morning and afternoon from
Summerville/Trion through Lafayette, Chickamauga, Rossville, Ft. Oglethorpe all the way up to the Choo Choo (and then UTC/Erlanger?) is at least worth a try one time to see how many people would ride it.

David Brown

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This is a very good point. Also we should keep in mind there is a similar rail line running north from Chattanooga, again parallel to US 27, to Dayton and beyond. I wonder if downtown workers living in Dayton or Soddy would like to park very near their house and get on a train, then get off at the Choo Choo?

The only problem (so I'm told) is that freight operators don't like to share their tracks with passenger operators. Still it seems like they could work something out, especially with people paying $150 or more per month in gas.

Incidentally I was going to go up to the Strawberry Festival this weekend, but decided to stay home specifically because of the cost of fuel. That train would have been nice.

Clif McCormick
Highland Park

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Mr. McCormick,

I will not argue the merits of the bulk of your letter, but surely you jest when you say the only reason you aren't going to the Strawberry Festival is due to the price of fuel.

According the Google, the distance from Highland Park to Dayton is 40 miles. Let's assume your vehicle gets a modest 20 miles to the gallon. With a round trip of 80 miles, you will burn four gallons of gas. If you are paying $3.60 per gallon (average Chattanooga price today, according to AAA) it will cost you $14.40. Maybe I'm wrong, but I am going to guess that if the gas was $2 a gallon, you probably wouldn't complain and you would go on up to Dayton. So, in essence, you aren't going because of a $6.40 difference.

Maybe you were planning on going alone, but let's say you planned on taking at least one other person with you. That would be a fuel cost of $7.20 per person. Now, how much do you think that hypothetical train ticket would cost you?

Mike Willingham