SC, GA, NC get $26 million for high speed rail study

South Carolina and two other states can move forward with a high-speed rail project, thanks to a new federal grant award. The U.S. Department of Transportation awarded the Atlanta-Charlotte high-speed rail line a $4.1 million grant. South Carolina, Georgia, and North Carolina will use it for high-speed intercity rail corridor study.

The three-state collaboration was the kind of model the federal government wanted to see, says Roy Tolson, SC DOT rail manager. Georgia will coordinate and lead the effort.

The proposed rail line is also getting another $22 million to study all of the effects and challenges of the plan. The high-speed rail system is planned to be an alternative to the nation’s highway network, easing traffic congestion. State leaders say it will improve jobs, construction, air pollution, tourism and energy savings.

The route would be put on existing rail infrastructure that runs from North Caroline, through the Upstate to Atlanta.