Bill Text: GA HR646 | 2009-2010 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Georgia Department of Transportation; develop plan for building "The Plane Train"; express
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2009-03-19 - House Second Readers [HR646 Detail]
Download: Georgia-2009-HR646-Introduced.html
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House
Resolution 646
By:
Representatives Smith of the
129th
and Sheldon of the
105th
A
RESOLUTION
Expressing
the sense of the House of Representatives that the Georgia Department of
Transportation should develop a strategic plan for building a maglev train
connecting Hartsfield-Jackson Airport in Atlanta, along Interstate 75, with the
Chattanooga Municipal Airport (Lovell Field), to be known as the "The Plane
Train"; and for other purposes.
WHEREAS,
Hartsfield-Jackson Airport is close to reaching its maximum operating capacity;
and
WHEREAS,
it is unlikely that any political subdivision in the state would allow a new
international airport to be built in its jurisdiction; and
WHEREAS,
many residents in North Georgia and visitors to our state complain that the
Atlanta airport is too far away and does not serve their needs; and
WHEREAS,
any trip to Hartsfield-Jackson Airport from North Georgia necessarily involves
delays due to the congestion encountered while traveling through the
metropolitan Atlanta area; and
WHEREAS,
a magnetic levitating, or maglev, train is a form of transportation that
levitates, guides, and propels vehicles using electromagnetic force. This
method is faster than wheeled mass transit systems, potentially reaching
velocities comparable to turboprop and jet aircraft; and
WHEREAS,
one advantage of maglev's higher speed would be extension of the serviceable
area (3 hours radius) that can outcompete subsonic commercial aircraft;
and
WHEREAS,
high-speed maglev is safe, environmentally friendly, and energy efficient,
reducing pollution, transportation fatalities, and reliance on foreign oil;
and
WHEREAS,
both past and current studies by the Atlanta Regional Commission and the Georgia
Department of Transportation have validated the feasibility of implementing a
revenue-producing maglev system in this corridor with potential regional
extensions to other parts of the state and other states.
NOW,
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that it is the sense
of this body that the Department of Transportation should develop a strategic
plan to construct a high-speed (240 MPH and above) maglev system or "Plane
Train" connecting Hartsfield-Jackson Airport in Atlanta with Lovell Field in
Chattanooga using proven commercially available and readily deployable
high-speed maglev systems similar to the maglev system currently in operation in
Shanghai, China.
BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this body requests the Department of Transportation to
report to the House of Representatives by September 30, 2009, on its progress in
developing this plan.
BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized
and directed to transmit appropriate copies of this resolution to the
Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Transportation and to each member of
the State Transportation Board.
