TDOT: short‑line preservation program near exhaustion; passenger‑rail corridor study underway
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Summary
TDOT testimony said $85 million in one‑time equity funds for short‑line rail has been largely expended and litigation has put some Transportation Equity Fund money in escrow, reducing availability for short lines; TDOT also described a $500,000 corridor study exploring passenger rail from Memphis via Chattanooga and Nashville to Atlanta.
TDOT officials told the Finance, Ways and Means committee that funding for short‑line railroad preservation and a nascent passenger‑rail corridor study are active priorities but face funding and right‑of‑way complexities.
Preston Elliott said the department’s short‑line rail safety and preservation program was initially seeded with $85 million one‑time (fiscal year 2022 allocation) and resulted in about a $20 million annual program to address ties, crossings and short‑line bridges. Elliott said the overall short‑line needs assessment showed roughly $300 million of need; he added litigation involving Class I railroads has placed some Transportation Equity Fund dollars into escrow, reducing immediate availability for short lines.
On passenger rail, Elliott described prior statewide analyses and said TDOT in 2024 invested $500,000 in a corridor identification study examining passenger service from Atlanta through Chattanooga and Nashville to Memphis. He said the study is at proof‑of‑concept and will examine freight operations, availability of track, and locations that might require double‑tracking or additional right‑of‑way work, and that TDOT is coordinating with Georgia DOT and local cities on the multistate corridor work.
