Chattanooga is looking at putting in a new light rail system that
would run from downtown all the way to Enterprise South with a station
at the airport and many other stops.
The plans are still in their beginning phases. The city council has approved the request to
apply for a federal grant to study the proposed plan.
It would cost the federal government $400,000 and the city another $300,000 to fund
the study. The study would cover how the rail system would impact the
economy, what tracks would need to be laid, what existing tracks that
could be utilized, and what it would do to rush hour
traffic as well as current taxi and CARTA services. Those are just
some of the major goals of the study.
The entire proposed rail system would cost around $35 million, which in comparison to other major mass
transit systems, is inexpensive.
This light rail system is not associated with the other major high-speed rail system between
Chattanooga and Atlanta, which already has $7.9 million put
aside and another $16.3 million pledged from local, state, and
federal governments.