Moderator’s introduction

Today’s moderator: Tom Sabulis

A 20-year veteran of the AJC, Tom Sabulis has covered news, politics and the arts during a career that has taken him to newspapers across the country. Since 2008, he has coordinated many of the newspaper’s pro/con debates and first-person guest columns.

North Carolina has witnessed record ridership on two state-funded rail lines, and the state DOT is looking to expand track capacity to add more service. Both lines are operated by Amtrak. But Georgia officials shouldn’t be swayed by the passenger rail trend, writes one local official; taxpayers can’t afford to subsidize a rail plan that’s “too big to fail.”