The ATL Trains Concept Design

Key Takeaway: All but one railroad mainline making up the ATL Trains Concept Design are owned and/or operated by CSX or NS, with the remaining corridor owned by the Class 3 Georgia Northeastern Railroad (GNRR).

As shown in this map, there are a total of eleven primary railroad mainlines encompassed by the ATL Trains Concept Design. Honing in on the 13-County Atlanta Region, the breakdown of the Region's freight rail network by owner/operator is as follows:

GRAPHIC ABOVE: 52% CSX, 40% NS, 2% CSX-NS Joint, and 6% GNRR

This map identifies the names of each mainline that makes up the ATL Trains System. For NS mainlines, the names used here generally reflect NS's own designations for their mainlines. For CSX and GNRR mainlines, the names used here refer to their historic, or heritage, designations due to the complexities of CSX's own designations.

Note: To highlight any specific mainline on the map, simply click its name in yellow text.

At the heart of the Region's freight rail network what the ATL Trains Concept calls the  Central Corridor , a 9-mile railroad corridor from East Point to Howell Junction, jointly owned and operated by CSX and NS, where all other mainlines in the Region come together. Just like for freight today, the Central Corridor is at the heart of the ATL Trains Vision and Concept Design.

Outside the Central Corridor are the 11 primary mainlines encompassed in the ATL Trains Vision. Going clockwise, these primary mainlines are referred to in the ATL Trains Vision as:

•  NS Greenville District Mainline  - Howell Junction to Greenville, SC
•  CSX Seaboard East Mainline  - Howell Junction to Abbeville, SC
•  CSX Georgia Railroad Mainline  - Downtown Atlanta to Augusta
•  NS Atlanta South District Mainline  - Howell Junction to Macon
•  NS Griffin District Mainline  - Downtown Atlanta to Macon
•  CSX Atlanta, Birmingham, & Coast (AB&C) Mainline  - Howell Junction to Manchester, GA
•  CSX Atlanta & West Point (A&WP) Mainline  - East Point to Montgomery, AL
•  NS East End District Mainline  - Austell to Birmingham, AL
•  NS Atlanta North District Mainline  - Howell Junction to Chattanooga, TN
•  CSX Western & Atlantic (W&A) Mainline  - Howell Junction to Chattanooga, TN
•  GNRR Louisville & Nashville (L&N) Mainline  - Marietta to Blue Ridge, GA

In addition, two much shorter secondary mainlines are also encompassed in the ATL Trains Concept Design:

•  CSX Seaboard Belt Line  - East Lake to Belt Junction
•  CSX Seaboard West Mainline  - Howell Junction to Chattahoochee River

Key Takeaway: The ATL Trains Concept Design must be designed to accommodate and minimize passenger train disruptions to freight operations particularly at major railroad yards, intermodal terminals, and bulk transfer facilities.

This map highlights the existing 2 classification yards, 4 intermodal terminals, and 4 bulk transfer facilities that are are currently or have until recently been operational and highly active in the Atlanta Region.

Note: To zoom into the locations of any facility listed, simply click its name in yellow text.

Classification Yards are large, traditional rail yards that facilitate the movement of traincars carrying raw materials such as coal, steel, grain, and chemicals from one train to another. Capacity of a classification yard is measured in number of classification tracks present.

The Atlanta Region in recent years has seen a decline in this type of operation. However, the Region is home to two classification yards, one of which is active today:

•  NS Inman Yard  - Opened in 1957 in Northwest Atlanta, Inman Yard contains 65 classification tracks, and while technically still very active, it is mostly used in its capacity as an intermodal terminal today rather than as a classification yard.
•  CSX Tilford Yard  - Also opened in 1957 and collocated with Inman Yard, Tilford Yard contained 40 classification tracks until 2019 when it was deactivated and closed. The southern third of the former classification yard is now a bulk transfer facility for CSX, while its middle third was sold off to Amazon for a distribution center.

Intermodal Terminals are usually large facilities that facilitate the movement of container shipments from one train to another or from train to truck. Capacity of an intermodal terminal is measure in terms of how many containers can be lifted on and off trains each year.

The Atlanta Region has seen robust growth in its intermodal rail traffic in recent years, a trend that is expected to continue as the Port of Savannah--now the third largest container port in the US--continues to grow. There are four intermodal terminals in the Atlanta Region, three of which are active:

•  NS Inman Intermodal Terminal  - NS's largest intermodal terminal is collocated with its classification yard at Inman Yard in Northwest Atlanta. It has a capacity of 250,000 lifts per year.
•  NS Whitaker Intermodal Terminal  - Opened in 2001 in Austell, Whitaker is Norfolk Southern's second intermodal terminal, with a capacity of 300,000 lifts per year.
•  CSX Fairburn Intermodal Terminal  - Opened in 1999 in the City of Fairburn, Fairburn is CSX's lone remaining intermodal terminal in the Atlanta Region following the closure of Hulsey in 2019. Fairburn has a capacity of 240,000 lifts per year.
•  CSX Hulsey Intermodal Terminal  - Located in East Atlanta, Hulsey Intermodal Terminal was a busy intermodal terminal operated by CSX until 2019, when it was deactivated and closed. While it has since hosted a bulk transfer facility for a short time, Hulsey currently appears almost dormant. As an intermodal terminal, it had a capacity of 125,000 lifts per year.

Lastly, bulk transfer facilities are generally small to medium facilities that facilitate the movement of raw materials between train and truck. Unlike classification yards and intermodal terminals, bulk transfer facilities tend to be much more localized, carrying material to and from local industries and businesses, and smaller facilities are often operated by third parties. Capacity is measured in terms of physical traincar spots--i.e. how many traincars can fit in the facility at one time.

The Atlanta Region has seen steady growth in its bulk transfer facilities, especially CSX facilities. The following list captures the Region's largest ones, operated directly by the railroad companies:

•  NS Doraville Thoroughbred Facility  - Located off the NS Greenville District Mainline in Doraville/Norcross area, Doraville is Norfolk Southern's largest bulk transfer operation in the Atlanta Region. It has a capacity of 164 traincar spots.
•  CSX Howell TransFLO Facility  - Located just north of Howell Junction in Northwest Atlanta, Howell was CSX's largest bulk transfer operation in the Region until Tilford TransFLO was opened in 2021. It has a capacity of 296 traincar spots.
•  CSX Hulsey TransFLO Facility  - After the closing of Hulsey Intermodal Terminal, Hulsey was converted to a bulk transfer facility for a short time in 2020 and 2021. During this time, Hulsey had a capacity of about 150 traincar spots.
•  CSX Tilford TransFLO Facility  - Since opening in 2021 on the southern portion of the former Tilford Yard site, Tilford TransFLO appears to be Atlanta's largest bulk transfer facility today by far, with an estimated capacity of 450 railcar spots.

Key Takeaway: All railroad mainlines making up the ATL Trains Concept Design can be categorized into low-volume (<10 daily trains), intermediate-volume (15-40 daily trains), and high-volume mainlines (50+ daily trains).

While all railroad mainlines encompassed in the ATL Trains Vision are are technically active today, how active, or busy, they are tends to vary significantly between mainlines. This map shows the estimated daily train volumes of each mainline. They tend to be categorized in the ATL Trains Vision as:

• Low Volume Mainlines tend to carry less than 10 trains per day. These include the CSX Georgia Railroad Mainline, Seaboard Belt Line, and Seaboard West Mainline; the NS Griffin District; and the GNRR L&N Mainline.
• Intermediate Volume Mainlines tend to carry between 15 and 40 trains per day. These include the Central Corridor south of Downtown Atlanta; the CSX W&A Mainline; and the NS Greenville, Atlanta South, East End, and Atlanta North District Mainlines.
• High-Volume Mainlines carry the largest number of trains per day in the Region, 50+. These are generally limited to just two corridors: the Central Corridor north of Downtown Atlanta and the segment of the NS Atlanta North District Corridor from Howell Junction to Austell, where two intermediate volume mainlines converge.

The breakdown of the Region's freight rail network by daily train volumes is shown below.

GRAPHIC ABOVE: 25% Low Volume, 70% Intermediate volume, 5% high volume

Key Takeaway: In total, over 90% of the Atlanta Region's freight rail network features wide rights-of-way in excess of 100 feet, more than enough to comfortably accommodate most corridor expansions proposed in the ATL Trains Concept Design.

Railroad right-of-way width plays a key role in the ability and degree to which a railroad corridor can be physically expanded to provide greater capacity in the ATL Trains Concept Design. First, consider the following generalized right-of-way needs for railroad corridors:

• An at-grade, Single Track Corridor requires 20-40 feet of width.
• An at-grade, Double Track Corridor requires 35-55 feet of width.
• An at-grade, 3-Track Corridor requires 50-70 feet of width.
• An at-grade, 4-Track Corridor requires 65-85 feet of width.
• An at-grade, 5-Track Corridor requires 80-100 feet of width.

As shown in this map, over 90% of the Atlanta Region's freight rail network by length has right-of-way in excess of 100 feet, meaning over 90% of these mainlines generally have room to accommodate at least 5 tracks! Furthermore, even the 9% with the narrowest rights-of-way can generally accommodate up to 3-4 tracks.

A breakdown of the Atlanta Region's freight rail network by right-of-way width is shown below.

9% 70-99

71% 100-199

20% 200+

Key Takeaway: Railroad corridors are some of the most underutilized linear rights-of-way in the Atlanta Region: while over 90% of the Region's mainlines have sufficient rights-of-way to accommodate 5 tracks or more, over 70% consist of just a single track today.

The next two maps document the two factors needed to determine the capacity of a railroad corridor, or maximum number of daily trains that can be carried through efficiently: (1) the number of tracks and (2) the signaling system. Estimating capacities throughout the Atlanta Region is an essential step in identifying the specific capacity improvements in the ATL Trains Concept Design.

Shown in this map, 71% of the Atlanta Region's freight rail network by length consists of just a single track. Double-track segments, making up another 26%, tend to be concentrated on the Region's busiest rail corridors for thru freight.

A breakdown of the Atlanta Region's freight rail network by number of tracks is shown below.

71% single

26% double

2% triple

<% 5+

The other factor needed to determine the capacity of the Region's railroad mainlines is the type of signaling system being used and how efficient that signaling system operates. The other key consideration is whether a signaling system has Positive Train Control (PTC), an electronic system able to track the exact location of every train travelling a corridor for both safety and efficiency reasons. There are three basic types of railroad signaling, ordered from least efficient to most efficient:

• Traffic Warrant Control (TWC) Signaling - TWC requires a train operator to manually call or radio a dispatcher and wait to verbally get permission to enter the corridor. TWC is the cheapest signaling option in large part because it is technically the absence of a signaling system. TWC is not PTC-compatible. As such it requires very little equipment on the track but is the least efficient and most risk-prone signaling system. In the Atlanta Region, TWC is limited to only two corridors, both stub-ends: the GNRR L&N Mainline and the CSX Seaboard West Mainline.
• Automatic Block Signaling (ABS) - ABS is a fully automated system in which a mainline is broken into multiple "blocks" or segments and a train operator must wait for a green light indicating the next block has been vacated to continue. It is generally the most advanced, non-PTC compatible signaling system. Approximate locations of trains are known based on block number, but exact locations are not. In the Atlanta Region, most CSX-owned corridors are equipped with ABS, as well as the low-volume NS Griffin District.
• Centralized Traffic Control (CTC) Signaling - CTC signaling is the best, safest, and most efficient signaling system. All trains travelling along a corridor are controlled very precisely by computers and staff at a central operations center Only CTC signaling fully accommodates PTC, and CTC is generally a requirement for corridors with three or more tracks or for more complex operations. In the Atlanta Region, most NS-owned corridors are equipped with CTC, as well as the intermediate-volume CSX W&A Mainline.

A breakdown of the Region's freight rail network by signaling system type is shown below.

51% ABS

42% CTC

7% TWC

Highlighted in this map, these two CSX mainlines run parallel for roughly 150 miles between the Central Corridor to the west and the CSX McCormick Subdivision Mainline to the east.

While 150 miles is a long length to be rerouted, three potential connectors currently exist along the corridor that could potentially provide more access options for freight:

•  CSX Seaboard Belt Line  - East Lake to Belt Junction
•  Madison-Athens Connector  (Mostly Abandoned) - Madison to Athens
•  Union Point-Athens Connector  (Abandoned) - Union Point to Athens

Of these, the Seaboard Belt Line is the only one actually located in the Atlanta Region and thus the only one that the ATL Trains Concept Design encompasses. The other two remain ideas, but could have merit in larger discussions about potential passenger rail to Athens and/or Augusta.

Key Takeaway: All freight trains will converge on the Georgia Railroad Mainline at East Lake.

• Constructs 2 freight-exclusive tracks on the Seaboard Belt Line and on single-track portions of the Georgia Railroad Mainline in Downtown Atlanta to accommodate resulting increase in freight traffic
• Retains access to the currently deactivated Hulsey Yard property

Shown in this map, all CSX freight traffic from the Seaboard East Mainline would continue down the Seaboard Belt Line to East Lake, converging with local freight traffic on the Georgia Railroad Mainline on approach to the Central Corridor. Nearly all of the infrastructure needed for this connection is already in place to accommodate this exact movement.

Key Takeaway: All passenger trains will converge on the Seaboard East Mainline at Belt Junction.

• Constructs 2 passenger-exclusive tracks on the Seaboard East Mainline and Seaboard Belt Line from East Lake
• Serves an entirely new area of the Atlanta Region not currently served by high-capacity transit, including Emory-CDC Area, Cheshire Bridge Road, and Piedmont Hospital
• Creates a new transfer point with the MARTA Red and Gold Lines at the proposed Armour Infill Station
• Avoids duplicative service with MARTA Rail on the Blue Line Corridor between East Lake and Downtown Atlanta, which runs next to the Georgia Railroad Mainline
• Avoids geometric design issues of getting the Rockdale Line into the proposed Atlanta Central Station in Downtown Atlanta on the Georgia Railroad Mainline

Meanwhile shown in this map, all South Gwinnett and Rockdale Line trains would converge on the CSX Seaboard East Mainline at Belt Junction. Rockdale Line trains would make this connection via the Seaboard East Mainline on two passenger-exclusive tracks, in addition to the two freight-exclusive ones also proposed on the corridor.

In effect, Belt Junction would largely remain as-is for exclusive passenger use, but making this connection work for the Rockdale Line will require two notable infrastructure improvements:

• Completing the East Lake Wye - to accommodate west-to-north and south-to-east passenger movements at East Lake
• Constructing the North Decatur Passenger Flyover - to move passenger on the west side of the corridor on approach to Belt Junction

Key Takeaway: All freight trains will remain on the primary NS and CSX mainlines through the area.

• Essentially no impacts to freight infrastructure or operations in Northwest Atlanta, Inman Yard, or Tilford TransFLO facility
• Removes all passenger rail operations (including Amtrak Crescent trains that run through the area today) entirely from the vicinity of Inman Yard, Tilford TransFLO Facility, and Howell Junction
• Expands the existing CSX bridge across the Chattahoochee River from single-track to double-track while keeping both tracks freight-exclusive
• Includes direct stub-end connection from the CSX W&A Mainline to Howell TransFLO Facility

As shown in this map, the Northwest Lines actually consist of not 2 but 3 mainlines

Key Takeaway: All passenger trains will converge on the CSX Seaboard West Mainline north of the Chattahoochee River

• Serves the most transit-compatible area of Northwest Atlanta of the three mainlines, including the Upper Westside Area, Chattahoochee Avenue, and Moores Mill Road
• Accommodates the potential collocation of future Moores Mill Transit Center facility by MARTA, near Moores Mill Road
• Results in the construction of just one new bridge spanning the Chattahoochee River, serving all four proposed regional rail lines operating north of the Chattahoochee River
• Constructs 2 passenger-exclusive tracks on the Seaboard West Mainline and Plant Atkinson North Connector to accommodate passenger trains
• Includes an additional freight-exclusive spur track on the Seaboard West Mainline for CSX stub-end access to Howell TransFLO Facility without impacting passenger operations.

As shown in this map, the Northwest Lines actually consist of not 2 but 3 mainlines

Key Takeaway: With all CSX freight traffic on the Seaboard East rerouted to the Georgia Railroad Mainline, all NS freight traffic will converge onto the Seaboard East Mainline from Armour to Howell Junction.

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The CSX Seaboard East Mainline runs parallel to the NS Greenville District Mainline for about 3 miles between Armour and Howell Junction Northeast Side of the Central Corridor.

Key Takeaway: All passenger trains from the North Gwinnett Line will also converge on the Seaboard East Mainline.

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The CSX Seaboard East Mainline runs parallel to the NS Greenville District Mainline for about 3 miles between Armour and Howell Junction Northeast Side of the Central Corridor.

Key Takeaway: All NS freight trains will continue on the Atlanta South District

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The NS Atlanta South District and Griffin District Mainlines both come in from the Southeast Side, running parallel with each other for over 80 miles without ever actually intersecting from Macon all the way to Atlanta.

Key Takeaway: All passenger trains on the Henry Line and Clayton Line will converge on the Griffin District Mainline at a new connection near the Southlake Mall area of Morrow.

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The NS Atlanta South District and Griffin District Mainlines both come in from the Southeast Side, running parallel with each other for over 80 miles without ever actually intersecting from Macon all the way to Atlanta.

Key Takeaway: All CSX freight traffic from the AB&C and A&WP Mainlines will converge onto the AB&C Mainline at Union City.

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On the Southwest Side, the CSX Atlanta & West Point (A&WP) and Atlanta, Birmingham, & Coast (AB&C) Mainlines actually intersect at Union City before splitting off again, running parallel to each other for about 20 miles from Union City to Atlanta.