Authored By david.morton

An Atlanta-based firm has been selected to conduct a study to determine the feasibility of a light rail system in Chattanooga.

The Chattanooga City Council will vote on a $690,000 contract with Cambridge Systematics next week. The study is partly funded by a federal transportation grant awarded to the city last year.

The project will develop an implementation plan for converting existing freight infrastructure into a passenger rail transit system. The study will also determine the feasibility of connecting Chattanooga to neighboring cities such as Atlanta and Nashville with passenger rail service.

“It’s a project we think would offer tremendous benefit,” Transportation Administrator Blythe Bailey told council members Tuesday.