ATLANTA – House Majority Whip Christian Coomer (R-Cartersville) today applauded the new 50-year lease with CSX Corporation (CSX), which permits the continued use of the Western and Atlanta Railroad (W&A) and generates $1.2 billion in payments to the State of Georgia.
“Thanks to strong leadership at the State Capitol, our new lease with CSX will keep Georgia’s infrastructure strong and our state’s economy growing,” said Rep. Coomer. “I was proud to participate in the lease negotiations on behalf of my constituents to help preserve the exclusive right to the state to operate a passenger rail service along the W&A line in the future. This is a promising time for our region and state. I look forward to sharing this exciting news with those I am honored to serve.”
The W&A Railroad supports 1,800 jobs, has service to the Appalachian Regional Inland Port in Chatsworth, and diverts over 1,000 trucks per day from Georgia interstates.
Representative Christian Coomer represents the citizens of District 14, which includes portions of Bartow and Floyd counties. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 2010 and currently serves as House Majority Whip. He also serves on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation and the Banks and Banking, Ethics, Juvenile Justice, Judiciary Non-Civil, Retirement, Rules and Transportation committees.
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