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Chattanooga official outlines Sunbelt Atlantic Connector to Red Bank commission
Summary
Ellis Smith of Chattanooga presented a regional passenger‑rail plan called the Sunbelt Atlantic Connector to the Red Bank commission, describing staged planning steps, infrastructure needs (double track, sidings, grade separations), and potential economic benefits while noting Red Bank would have no formal role but could gain local access.
Ellis Smith, director of intergovernmental and external affairs in Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly’s office, told the Red Bank commission at a work session that Chattanooga and three other cities are advancing a regional passenger‑rail proposal they are calling the Sunbelt Atlantic Connector. "We're calling it the Sunbelt Atlantic Connector," Smith said, describing a plan to use existing CSX freight tracks to reconnect Chattanooga with Atlanta, Nashville and Memphis.
Smith said the project is not high‑speed rail and emphasized a staged approach: a completed business plan, a service‑development plan to feed railroad owners, and later engineering…
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