Time for Atlanta to lay new tracks

Every morning on the way to work, I drive by the Amtrak Station at the corner of Peachtree Street and Deering Road. The small station sits on a spit of land adjacent to the rail line. Taxis vie to park on the limited sidewalk space. I watch passengers dodge traffic as they struggle across the street with their luggage, and I always think the station is a sorry excuse for a gateway to any major city — especially one that owes its existence to the railroad.

The poor state of rail transit isn’t unique to Atlanta. It is a national problem, and the opportunity of a new, national high-speed rail system has been considered by many recently. President Barack Obama’s recent plans and funding have provided a hearty jump-start to the move toward a new national rail system. Some of the plans already identify Atlanta as a potential hub for such a rail network, a seemingly natural fit, but there is no reason why a city such as Birmingham or Charlotte couldn’t make for a suitable location for such a hub.

At a time when private companies and local governments alike are looking for ways to stimulate solid growth and build out of this economic downturn, Atlanta has a golden opportunity to be a forerunner in an arena it already knows very well.

From its start as a railroad town, transportation has always been the lifeblood of the city. Hartsfield-Jackson, the world’s busiest airport, has propelled Atlanta to be the economic engine for the region, but the airport’s potential is reaching a plateau. Atlanta needs to build a marquee train station to serve as the Southeast hub of a national high-speed rail system.

It doesn’t take much imagination to see how a hub of high-speed rails linked to the airport would provide a new, powerful growth engine while at the same time leveraging the airport’s full potential. You can imagine pitching a city with an integrated international and national air and rail transportation system to a CEO looking to relocate his or her Fortune 500 company. Or telling international tourists they can fly into Atlanta and explore the cities of the Southeast without ever getting in a car.

Atlanta should take its cue from Athens, Ga., which has already gathered recognition for initiative it took to construct a multimodal transportation hub in the center of downtown. As many know, Atlanta already has the perfect location for a station. The 16-acre site owned by Norfolk-Southern and commonly referred to as the “Gulch” is located adjacent to the World Congress Center. It is steps away from Atlanta’s burgeoning tourist area and existing MARTA stations. A city as developed as Atlanta could not plan for a better location in the core of its downtown. Much like the Beltline, Atlanta’s railroad past offers an overlooked space to build for the future.

Atlanta needs a train station such as New York’s Grand Central or Paris’ Gare du Nord — a distinctive and functional structure befitting a world-class city — an iconic gateway to not just Atlanta but to the South. The benefits of such a station would extend beyond its economic impact. There’s a distinct feeling about grand rail stations. You can’t put an airport in the middle of a city and walk into it. There is a sense of permanence, romance and accessibility that train stations offer to the character and stature of a city that airports just cannot match.

This city, with its history of successful public-private partnerships, is uniquely suited to build such a structure and advocate for a national system. Local government agencies, mayoral candidates, civic leaders, industry CEOs, investors waiting on the sidelines, there is a golden opportunity to lay a new track for the city’s growth and secure Atlanta’s position as a national transportation leader. In these times, these are the buildings and systems that need to be built. The Gulch is there — it just needs to be filled.

Lee A. Kolber is an Atlanta attorney.