By DAVE HAMRICK
Staff Writer

Fayette residents may not be used to the idea of a rapid rail line running through the county, but one of the architects of the plan says once it's here, you're going to love it.

“What is the value of people's time,” said Arthur Vaughn, executive director of the Georgia Passenger Rail Authority, in an interview this week with The Citizen.

“If you spend 45 minutes on a train where you would normally have spent an hour in a car,” he said, “a lot of people bring work home from the office. That's 45 minutes of work time, and it translates into 45 minutes of quality family time at night.”

The Rail Authority will be heavily involved in the implementation phase of the Atlanta Regional Commission's recently released 25-year Regional Transportation Plan. ARC currently is gathering public comment on the proposed plan in hopes of adopting it in March.

A radical departure from previous transportation plans for the Atlanta region, the new RTP would earmark $20 billion for public transit, and only $11 billion for road improvements and construction. Previous plans have spent about twice as much on roads as on transit.

In addition to spending a projected $1.28 billion for transportation projects in Fayette, the plan includes building a $70 million, 31-mile commuter rail line from Hartsfield International Airport to Senoia, through Fayette County.

The line, scheduled for completion late in the next decade, would run roughly parallel to Interstate 85 until it reaches Fayette, then turn south, roughly following Ga. Highway 74 through Tyrone and Peachtree City.

Where possible, the passenger line would use existing freight train tracks, said Vaughn, and the area would benefit both by the addition of passenger service and the upgrade to freight service, since in many cases the tracks would have to be improved.

Plans include passenger stations in both Tyrone and Peachtree City, said Vaughn.

Exactly where those stations would be has yet to be determined. With rail construction scheduled for 2007 or 2008, local residents should expect to be involved in a site selection process starting around 2004, he said.

“We'll look at the corridor and all potential station stops,” said Vaughn. “After we do our evaluations and environmental and design studies, we'll hone down to a more clear choice, and then if we find any environmental or other problems with that, we'll have to look at the next best site,” he added.

Local governments, businesses and civic organizations will be invited to participate in the process, he said. “It is vitally important that we understand what the community is envisioning,” he said. “None of this is done in a vacuum. To make a success of it, it will have to be where people will use it.”

In response to local concerns about the much higher cost of public transit compared to road construction, Vaughn said he believes the value of a rail system to local commuters will more than make up for the cost.

“What will be the cost of congestion in 25 years,” he said. Rail and other forms of public transportation will make it possible for the Atlanta area and the state to continue growing, by providing transportation options, he said. The Atlanta region is expected to have seven million residents by 2025.

“You get eight times the potential usage of trains that you would get in a lane of pavement,” he added. “We can keep building more and more roads, but why?”

Extending Atlanta's public transportation systems to a larger area will make the entire current system more valuable, Vaughn argued. “There's a report that only 10 percent of commuters use public transit, but how much opportunity do they have to participate when it's limited to a certain geographic sector?”

He said experts predicted that it would take three years for passengers to start using a five-mile extension of a rail line in Chicago. “In nine months, it was operating at the three-year projection,” he said.

Commuters will fall in love with the dependability of rail, said Vaughn. “When we say we can get you from Senoia to Atlanta in 47 minutes, that's day in and day out, regardless of rain, snow, whatever,” he said. “Nowhere does the automobile offer that guarantee.

“I'm looking forward to the first engine running,” said Vaughn. “It's going to be a success that's going to create its own momentum.”

In addition to the rail line, ARC envisions a bus system for Fayette, plus more high occupancy vehicle lanes on I-85, and a bicycle/pedestrian path system.

The plan also includes road construction funds, including widening Ga. highways 54 and 74, and building a bypass system around Fayetteville.