ATLANTA — The bipartisan infrastructure law has provided three new grants to Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina to move forward with plans for a high-speed rail corridor.

The Federal Railroad Administration awarded $1.5 million to explore creating a passenger rail service that would connect Atlanta to Savannah, Charlotte, N.C. and major cities in Tennessee like Chattanooga and Nashville.

U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff appropriated funds in 2022 to begin planning a route from Atlanta to Savannah. He spoke exclusively to Channel 2′s Karyn Greer about the work to keep the project going.

“So we have more resources now going to accelerate that development. These are long term projects that are going to require a lot of collective effort. But this is big, big progress for our state,” Ossoff told Greer.

There are three main corridors that are being explored. The Georgia Department of Transportation received a $500,000 grant for the Atlanta to Savannah corridor that would include stops in Athens, Augusta and Macon.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation received a $500,000 grant for the Charlotte to Atlanta corridor that would include stops at the Greenville-Spartanburg airport, Augusta and Athens.

The final $500,000 grant went to the City of Chattanooga for a corridor that would connect Atlanta, Chattanooga, Nashville and Memphis.

Ossoff said the project will be long-term, but has the potential to improve transportation options for Georgians.

“What we want to do is connect cities in the region with reliable and safe and efficient rail service. And that may also allow us to build new solutions for commuters who are located between those major cities, at a time when a lot of folks are struggling with congestion,” Ossoff told Greer.

WSB-TV’s Karyn Greer contributed to this story

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