Would a light-rail transit service up the U.S. 41 corridor be of benefit to Cobb County? Is there the political and public will to support such a project? And more to the point, is there the money for such a line?

Those and other questions will be discussed at today's meeting of the Cobb Board of Commissioners. Cobb Department of Transportation director Faye DiMassimo will make a presentation about the $2 billion project at today's meeting of the Cobb Board of Commissioners and will ask for direction from them.

"This is just a very large, complex effort and there has to be support behind it that starts and does not stop," DiMassimo said last week. "You just have to really stick with it, have someone really driving it, have potential funding available, have the public behind it, and I feel now is the right time. In the past, a premium transit service has not always been the highest priority, but now it is something that is seen not only as enhancing mobility and relieving congestion, but also a tool for economic development in that area."

On the table is a system that would feature 14.6 miles of aboveground (monorail-style) track running from the Cumberland Mall area to the Town Center mall/Kennesaw State University area. Initial plans are for seven light rail stations, with stops at KSU, Town Center, WellStar Kennestone Hospital, Southern Polytechnic State University, Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Windy Ridge Parkway and Cumberland Mall.

The stations on either end would be multi-modal, meaning passengers could board either rail cars or buses. In addition, there would be 33 bus stops in the Cumberland/Galleria area and 21 more in the KSU/Town Center area.

***
COBB REJECTED participation in the MARTA system when it was first created four decades ago, but sentiment has slowly been shifting toward rail in recent decades as the county has grown and traffic congestion has worsened. By the same token, though, there still remains significant animosity here against the MARTA system, which is perceived by many - fairly or not - to be poorly run and overly expensive to operate.

The light-rail service up 41 (Cobb Parkway), with linkage to MARTA's Arts Station in Midtown, was proposed by the Atlanta Regional Commission back in 2001, which included it in its 2025 Regional Transportation Plan. Such a system also was looked at by the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority during the administration of Gov. Roy Barnes. But his defeat by Sonny Perdue in 2002 took away much of the impetus for rail transit expansion, at least on the state level. The Perdue administration vacillated between focusing on HOV lanes, HOT lanes and Bus Rapid Transit as the "keys" to congestion relief, but never really got going on any of them.

The election of then-Cobb Commission Chairman Sam Olens to head the Atlanta Regional Commission helped put rail transit expansion back onto the front burner, and in 2008 the Cobb board adopted the 2030 Cobb County Comprehensive Transportation Plan, which continued to advocate a light rail service for the 41 or Interstate 75 corridor.

***
SO DOES COBB NEED such a light rail line? Is the 41 corridor the right place? Will it be well utilized if it is built, or will it be a case of most people staying behind the wheel of their vehicles while hoping "the other guy" will ride the train? How much of a tax subsidy would be needed for the service? And let's be realistic: There is virtually no chance that such a rail line would ever be self-supporting from the fare box.

We're glad to see such discussions finally taking place in the open. There has seemed to be a growing consensus building behind the scenes among local elected officials for such a rail line. If so, they are putting the cart before the horse, so to speak. It would do them or the county little good for them to have their minds made up prior to getting public opinion on board with the idea as well.

In that sense, today's presentation and discussion are appropriate and overdue.