Macon-Bibb County to advocate for a railroad stop between Atlanta and Savannah
Macon-Bibb County government officials will designate several representatives Tuesday to advocate for a future passenger rail stop in Macon.
Mayor Lester Miller, Mayor Pro Tempore Seth Clark and District 3 Commissioner Stanley Stewart sponsored a resolution that supports the development of a passenger rail that will travel from Atlanta, stop in Macon and then head to Savannah, according to documents in the Macon-Bibb County agenda packet. The last time Macon had a passenger rail system was in 1970.
“The (resolution’s) goal is to try and make sure you have all of the commissioners on board,” Stewart told The Telegraph. “And then it shows that, you know, Macon-Bibb is ... behind the idea.”
It further aims to designate one or more employees of the county to “serve as official representatives of the government for purposes of participating in ongoing route evaluation discussions and advocating for selection of the Atlanta-Macon-Savannah route proposal by GDOT,” according to the resolution.
Though the representatives weren’t identified, Stewart, C. Jack Ellis and Robert Reichert, the past two mayors of the city, have advocated for reestablishing the possibility of Macon having a passenger rail stop. Ellis bought the terminal station and Reichert “under his administration, kind of kept the ball going a little bit,” Stewart told The Telegraph.
County officials must address hurdles first
Work toward establishing a national passenger rail system began in November 2021 when the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act was passed by Congress, which allocated $66 million over five years. Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff also successfully procured $8 million in federal funds in 2022 for high-speed rail between Atlanta and Savannah.
Macon became part of the conversation for a passenger rail stop when the Southeast Corridor Commission — a coalition that includes Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida — studied the best routes to connect passenger rail in the Southeast. The commission determined that a route from Atlanta to Macon and Savannah would be “the preferred way to connect to Jacksonville, FL,” according to the resolution.
AMTRAK, another railroad service, considered including Macon as a stop for a passenger rail system that would use “existing railroad and new greenfield routes,” according to the resolution.
By having a passenger rail in Macon, it would help the environment by reducing traffic congestion on Interstate 75, according to the resolution. It would also facilitate tourism for those looking to visit the Ocmulgee Mounds Historical National Park, who would typically be traveling from the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and, finally, would be “necessary and proper to promote to protect the safety, health, peace, security and general welfare of Macon-Bibb County and its inhabitants,” according to the resolution.
However, Stewart will need to face some hurdles first. He told The Telegraph that county leaders need to convince the federal government and local municipalities that the passenger rail stop in Macon would be a good idea. But Stewart expects them to be hesitant.
“A lot of the folks in Atlanta don’t want people from Macon or Savannah coming up that way ... they thought (it would bring) more crime,” Stewart said. “You say that because the folks in Macon and Savannah are thinking that Atlanta is gonna bring more crime to them, right?”
He said misconceptions on crime need to be addressed, and there needs to be communication with officials from involved municipalities.
“The key is to make sure ... that we get an understanding from all the people (in) Atlanta, Macon and Savannah, that this is the best thing for all of our communities,” Stewart said.
This story was originally published July 15, 2025 at 9:08 PM.
