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Rapid rail rears its head again

Posted by
Walter Geiger
in Top Stories
Tuesday, September 27. 2011
Comments (32)
Lamar countians were promised they would ride a commuter train to the Atlanta Olympics in 1996. The rail plan has been floated and shot down numerous times since. Now it has reared its head again - or at least part of it has.

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#1 Rapid Mybutt on 09/27/11 at 07:47 PM
The only rapid rail we need is for the train that sits in town to rapidly get out of town and quit blocking all the dang crossings in town at the same time.

Can I get an AMEN???
#2 Anonymous on 09/27/11 at 08:22 PM
Amen Brother! I second this motion!
#3 Anonymous on 09/27/11 at 08:28 PM
That's just what we need. To put rapid rail from Atlanta to
Macon will bankrupt Georgia back into the Stone Age.
The first train load of immagrants from Atlanta looking for hand outs will look like the unloading of the Arimstead in downtown Barnesville.
#4 Anonymous on 09/27/11 at 08:38 PM
As a Barnesvillian who commutes to Atlanta everyday for work and uses my hard earned wages to support the tax base in Barnesville, I would ver much like to see commuter rail come to Griffin and or Barnesville. I think it would open up many opportunities for locals who commute currently or would have a greater opportunity to commute into Atlanta for better job opportunities. Bring light rail south!
#5 John on 09/27/11 at 11:11 PM
When will these people realise that the United States is not Europe. Commuter travel on trains in the United States would be expensive, impractical and would be a racket. In England, the taxpayer pays hefty subsidies to maintain the rail lines and then commuters pay disgracefully high prices to use the trains. Commuter rail is just a racket where government and private companies get to financially rape the people. Meanwhile, does a historic town like Barnesville want to become a stopover for riffraff travelling between Atlanta and Macon? I have lived in Europe and in big cities and they are horrible places; lets preserve our town and say no to this urbanization.
#6 fish on 09/28/11 at 05:16 AM
bring on the train we need it. my family could move here from atlanta barnesville could gain alot of citizens. we also need public transportation here in lamar. i look out and still see no bus to ride. shame on you lamar for not providing buses. now i need a ride who do i call. leroy come get me
#7 Anonymous on 09/28/11 at 05:52 AM
I need some work done. Send them to my house. 5.00 an hour!
#8 Billy Bob on 09/28/11 at 06:54 AM
Believe me there is nothing in Barnesville that would attract anyone to stop here.
Especially with racists like you living here.
#9 Anonymous on 09/28/11 at 07:22 AM
You chose to work in Atlanta. Why should the rest of us be forced to pay for your commute?
#10 John on 09/28/11 at 07:36 AM
Nice use of the race card from the Democratic play book. No one mentioned anything about race, so I would just love to know where you inferred a racial element from? The good news is, all but a few die-hards' on the loony left, simply don't care anymore when someone calls them a racist because it has been so overplayed by people like yourself that it has no meaning.
#11 John on 09/28/11 at 07:44 AM
No one is stopping anyone from setting up a PRIVATE bus company for Lamar county. What you are asking for is a taxpayer funded bus service that subsidizes those that would us it. Why would the majority that own cars want to do this? If a private company decides that it is a good business opportunity and decides to set up a new business, then great, but it is unfair to ask taxpayers who pay enough already, to subsidize a service they don't want for a minority of people.
#12 H B on 09/28/11 at 09:50 AM
In my opinion, the last thing we need is rapid rail. It will be unprofitable, such as Amtrack, and eventually add to your tax bill. The only thing that will come out of it, will be Missy Kendrick will try to take credit for it coming.
#13 Anonymous on 09/28/11 at 11:27 AM
Spend some time riding the "rapid rail" already in Atlanta. Enjoy the smell of old vomit and urine.

Can meet interesting folks like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXz-tlK2pkI

Remember "mass" transit allow greater mobility to aspects of the mass you might not otherwise want to meet.

Otherwise, I would like to know what magical formula the politicos will use to reduce the cost of this. Strict Federal regulations on track structure, signaling, and rolling stock WILL be met or the operation will not be allowed to proceed.

This is a lot of money very little benefit, except for Norfolk Southern, which will get it's property nicely repaired at taxpayer expense.
#14 the truth on 09/28/11 at 04:05 PM
the type people who ride rapid rail and public transportation are not the kind of people i want living next to me.barnesville,thanks to the large government supported population,is only a step away from becoming another macon,lovejoy,riverdale or college park.the last thing we need is to supply a way for more obama supporters to bring their sorry butts here.
#15 Elizabeth on 09/29/11 at 07:38 AM
Okay, well my opinion is that it would be neat to have something down here like this but yes it will be a lot of money, and some people may think barnesville is an interesting place...but there is no need in calling anyone sorry, and barnesville is a small place, so how would it become another macon or any of that?
any way im not startin anything but it might be cool to have something like this down here..
there are people in need and most people do not car, so this could help them get back and forth to places, but yeah.
#16 ME on 09/29/11 at 08:59 AM
well there are no good jobs here in barnesville so what do you expect?!!
#17 Billy Bob on 09/29/11 at 09:09 AM
I suppose MLK was part of your loony left.
Civil rights - who needs that.
What freakin century do you want to live in?
#18 A person on 09/29/11 at 10:16 AM
Why do you Barnesvillians complain soo much! About every single thing that goes on! If you don't like it then pack your bags and get out
#19 cats on 09/29/11 at 11:51 AM
While visiting our daughter when she was stationed in San Diego, we used mass transit to get around.
A drunk came and sat next to my husband and regaled him with who knows what? His speech was so garbled none of us could understand him.
I think the drunk thought it was his lucky day, he boarded the light rail and there sat Santa Claus.
I myself enjoyed my train ride that day.
#20 One Question on 09/30/11 at 02:53 PM
Does anyone really think there are enough riders to support a rail? No, of course not. That doesn't matter because tax payers will pay for it!
#21 H B on 09/30/11 at 07:10 PM
You can call it rapid rail, but it is public transportation.
The Government has a study that says Public Transportation is mostly used (80% or better) by persons on public assistance.
From my stand point, it only would be an extension of MARTA, and our tax base would suffer, as all counties that have MARTA.
Personally, I think this is a do gooders Pipe Dream.
#22 Billy Bob on 10/02/11 at 06:55 AM
Not to long -mid 70's- you could take a daily train from BARNESVILLE to Atlanta. I rode it often when a student at Georgia Tech

It was called the Nancy Hanks.

It was wonderful.

Back to the future?
#23 Anonymous on 10/02/11 at 04:07 PM
You can still take one Billy Bob...it's called it's called "lefty and righty"....walk your sorry a$$ up there
#24 Billy Bob on 10/03/11 at 06:21 AM
HUH?
What are you talking about?
#25 Anonymous on 10/03/11 at 02:48 PM
Not to long -mid 70's- you could take a daily train from BARNESVILLE to Atlanta. I rode it often when a student at Georgia Tech

It was called the Nancy Hanks.

It was wonderful.

Back to the future?

****

1971 was the last year of the Hanks. Nobody was riding it and it was discontinued.

Nobody would ride any "rapid rail" put in place on the same route for the same reason. Hundreds of millions of dollars for something no one would use.
#26 Billy Bob on 10/04/11 at 07:45 AM
So you do remember the Nancy Hanks- funny you never mentioned it till I brought it up.

I suppose no one ever rode streetcars or buses either?

Live in your little fear bubble while the world changes around you. There are 5 million people living just north of Lamar County.
They are not going to disappear just because you refuse to recognize their existence and needs.
#27 anon on 10/04/11 at 08:50 AM
You can't compare what happened in 1971 to now, too much has changed with fuel supplies, work culture, and so on.
#28 Anonymous on 10/04/11 at 11:10 AM
I remember the Nancy Hanks. I rode it a few times. I even caught it and rode it up to D.C. when in the 7th grade. The reason people don't appreciate trains is because they never rode them. It is a wonderful way to travel.
#29 anom on 10/04/11 at 01:05 PM
The Nancy Hanks was one of my favorite childhood memories.It was really special to ride to Atlanta and go shopping for the day at Rich's. Don't think you rode it to Washington, you probably changed trains in Atl and caught the Southern Cresent to DC. The Nancy traveled daily between Atlanta and Savannah.
#30 Anonymous on 10/04/11 at 07:35 PM
"You can't compare what happened in 1971 to now, too much has changed with fuel supplies, work culture, and so on."

Sure has. Crime rates are MUCH higher, especially around the railroad areas in Atlanta.

You are far more likely to be robbed,raped,and/or killed in the area now. Southwest Atlanta around the RR's is a very dangerous place now.
#31 Anonymous on 10/11/11 at 02:09 PM
Now that I'm old I'll always give thanks, that once, through Georgia, I rode the Nancy Hanks.

Lewis Grizzard.
#32 barb on 11/21/11 at 03:29 PM
I believe the race card was put into play when a previous responder, albeit incorrectly, referred to a mutiny in 1839 by newly captured African slaves that took place aboard the ship La Amistad off the coast of Cuba, the subsequent voyage to the Northeastern United States and the legal battle that followed their capture by a United States revenue cutter.
To make it easy for you, I have added his message verbatim.
"The first train load of immagrants from Atlanta looking for hand outs will look like the unloading of the Arimstead in downtown Barnesville."
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