Savannah, GA
Stop on the proposed 17,000-mile maglev network. Next stop: Charleston, SC (83.4 mi).
About Savannah
Savannah is a city in and the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, United States. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, it is the oldest city in the state, and was the capital of the colonial Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. A strategic port city in the American Revolution and during the American Civil War, Savannah today is an industrial center and an important Atlantic seaport.
Source: Wikipedia summary (full article). Population and facts as published there.
Cost breakdown (proposal-scale estimates — see math)
| Item | Basis | Estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Terminal construction | Mid-size city — metro tier (range $1–2B) | $1.5B |
| Land acquisition | Regional factor 1.5× on $200M base | $300M |
| Track: Savannah → Charleston | 83.4 mi × $500M/mi | $41.7B |
| Annual operations (share) | Staffing, power, maintenance | $30M/yr |
| Stop total (excl. annual ops) | $43.5B |
Best terminal location (proposed)
The Amtrak station district west of downtown. Savannah's Amtrak station sits on an active corridor just west of the historic district, with surrounding industrial land suitable for a terminal that doesn't touch the protected core. The station would serve the port's workforce, SCAD's student population, and the region's huge tourism base.
Before / after
Aerial mock-up (illustrative, not an engineering rendering). Left: the proposed site today. Right: with the maglev terminal.
- Hardeeville, SC — Jasper County's I-95 gateway.
- Beaufort, SC — historic Sea Island city on US-21.
- Walterboro, SC — Colleton County seat on I-95.