G
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Found this letter from Sam Massell to Amtrak/Dukakis while looking for a good way to get to the Atlanta Amtrak station (after parking at another station that has long term safe parking). Sam Massell is a business and political person well-liked, well-linked and imprinted firmly on the Atlanta area. If Massell "helps market" it, it will work. He has a significant influence on the Buckhead area (think Governor's mansion area if you're not from Atlanta). Commute times in Atlanta are at national record lengths and the I985/I85 corridor is a parking lot during rush hours. Any misspellings are probably transcript errors at the ARC.
Now, if someone can tell me what the Marta bus stop is called that stops in front of Amtrak. I've looked at the schedules/maps and am still clueless.
http://www.atlantaregional.com/cps/rde/xbc...ARTA_Report.pdf
7/18/2007
Submitted by: Massell
Comment: July 18, 2007 Hon. Michael Dukakis c/o Northeastern University 360 Huntington Avenue Boston, MA
02115 Dear Michael: I'm addressing this to you because your're the top "rail" person I know and you
enjoy a special relationship with AMTRAK. As you are well aware, commuter rail is a popular national
subject today, including specific proposals in Georgia to feed our capitol city and reduce private auto
congestion. It appears the majority of journalists, politicians, and the general citizenry support the idea,
but funding it is a slow process. As you know the AMTRAK Crescent already runs daily to Atlanta in
the morning from Gainesville, GA and back in the afternoon. I suspect a meaningful number of the
33,000 people in Gainesville (173,000 in Hall County) drive I-985/85, GA 400 and other highways to work
in Atlanta. With a little tweaking by AMTRAK we might all benefit! I was pleased to recently learn of
AMTRAK's testing of "luxury" cars as an option on three other lines (and wish we had them here); also
that the new AMTRAK President Alex Kummant has projected that AMTRAK needs " to expand services
over medium distances". This demonstration of creativity suggests management might be willing to
experiment at relatively little cost with a limited "commuter service" here. The Crescent's schedule has it
leaving Gainesville at 6:58 a.m., breakfast is available, and it arrives nonstop in Buckhead (Atlanta's only
AMTRAK station) at 8:13 a.m., which is excellent. We would need to arrange here for our mass transit
service (MARTA) to have buses meet the train to carry passengers north to Buckhead busniess center
and south to downtown Atlanta. It might also be necessary to add auto parking spaces at the Gainesville
station. The Crescent returning to Gainesville nonstop leaves Atlanta at 8:21 p.m., which is too late, but
if this train left New Orleans at 5 a.m. rather than 7:20 it would work. Dinner is available on board.
There is already a regular MARTA bus service along Peachtree to return workers to the station to connect
to AMTRAK. Wouldn't it be wonderful if AMTRAK would undertake a creative challenge like this and
overnight provide a sample of commuter rail (while we are waiting for the new systems to be funded)?
It's not a perfect plan but it could possibly benefit AMTRAK, Atlanta, and Hall County residents. Will
you please pass this on the person who could make it happen? We will help market it. Respectfully,
Sam Massell President SM/ls
Now, if someone can tell me what the Marta bus stop is called that stops in front of Amtrak. I've looked at the schedules/maps and am still clueless.
http://www.atlantaregional.com/cps/rde/xbc...ARTA_Report.pdf
7/18/2007
Submitted by: Massell
Comment: July 18, 2007 Hon. Michael Dukakis c/o Northeastern University 360 Huntington Avenue Boston, MA
02115 Dear Michael: I'm addressing this to you because your're the top "rail" person I know and you
enjoy a special relationship with AMTRAK. As you are well aware, commuter rail is a popular national
subject today, including specific proposals in Georgia to feed our capitol city and reduce private auto
congestion. It appears the majority of journalists, politicians, and the general citizenry support the idea,
but funding it is a slow process. As you know the AMTRAK Crescent already runs daily to Atlanta in
the morning from Gainesville, GA and back in the afternoon. I suspect a meaningful number of the
33,000 people in Gainesville (173,000 in Hall County) drive I-985/85, GA 400 and other highways to work
in Atlanta. With a little tweaking by AMTRAK we might all benefit! I was pleased to recently learn of
AMTRAK's testing of "luxury" cars as an option on three other lines (and wish we had them here); also
that the new AMTRAK President Alex Kummant has projected that AMTRAK needs " to expand services
over medium distances". This demonstration of creativity suggests management might be willing to
experiment at relatively little cost with a limited "commuter service" here. The Crescent's schedule has it
leaving Gainesville at 6:58 a.m., breakfast is available, and it arrives nonstop in Buckhead (Atlanta's only
AMTRAK station) at 8:13 a.m., which is excellent. We would need to arrange here for our mass transit
service (MARTA) to have buses meet the train to carry passengers north to Buckhead busniess center
and south to downtown Atlanta. It might also be necessary to add auto parking spaces at the Gainesville
station. The Crescent returning to Gainesville nonstop leaves Atlanta at 8:21 p.m., which is too late, but
if this train left New Orleans at 5 a.m. rather than 7:20 it would work. Dinner is available on board.
There is already a regular MARTA bus service along Peachtree to return workers to the station to connect
to AMTRAK. Wouldn't it be wonderful if AMTRAK would undertake a creative challenge like this and
overnight provide a sample of commuter rail (while we are waiting for the new systems to be funded)?
It's not a perfect plan but it could possibly benefit AMTRAK, Atlanta, and Hall County residents. Will
you please pass this on the person who could make it happen? We will help market it. Respectfully,
Sam Massell President SM/ls
