GA: Birmingham-Atlanta high-speed rail? Mayor Woodfin outlines 2026 vision

Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin says he wants to prioritize walking, biking and increasing mobility options for 2026, while looking for ways to de-emphasize the need for cars and parking lots.

That may even include a future high-speed train between Birmingham and Atlanta, although he offered no specifics on that idea.

“I also don’t think it’s crazy to dream about a frequent and fast passenger rail connection from Birmingham to Atlanta,” Woodfin said. “We can achieve these things.”

To achieve the goal of more mobility options, Woodfin this month launched the “GoBHM Transportation Plan” to transform Birmingham into a more walkable, bikeable, and transit-friendly city. The plan includes enhancing public transportation and exploring the idea of a high-speed passenger rail connection between Birmingham and Atlanta.

Woodfin wrote an essay outlining his transportation priorities for 2026.

“When I was growing up in North Birmingham, I walked a lot of places,” Woodfin said in an essay on the topic posted Jan. 8 highlighting his transportation priorities. “I would regularly walk to stores, a friend’s house, school, or a bus stop. I don’t walk as much today as I did back then, unfortunately. Too often, I feel that I need to drive to get where I need to go. And I think I’m not alone. Based on census data, nearly all of us in the Birmingham region get to our jobs in a car. The Birmingham region is one of the most-car-dependent places in the country, and since we know the U.S. is one of the world’s most car-dependent countries, that means our city relies on cars more than most places on earth.”

Woodfin notes that many people can’t afford cars, which puts them at a disadvantage.

“We can’t afford to maintain a world where we all drive everywhere,” Woodfin said. ”Car-oriented growth means that everything spreads out. That leads to bigger roads, and that requires more asphalt, striping, signals, signs, stormwater pipes, stormwater inlets, sidewalks, street lighting, landscaping, bridges, and more. It’s a very costly venture. My administration has proudly invested more than $100 million into paving during my first two terms in office. However, our backlog of infrastructure needs is massive and ever-growing. We know that more walkable cities are more compact and therefore are more affordable to maintain.”

The more a city relies on cars, the more its expenses on road maintenance increase, he said.

“When we assume that everyone will drive cars, we build a world with larger roadways, intersections, private land developments, and larger parking lots,” Woodfin said. “Even if we all ride in electric, fully-autonomous cars, a world built for automobiles will still have far too great of an impact on our environment.”

The solution is more walking, more biking, he said.

“I’d like to make Birmingham walkable,” he said. “I’d also like to strengthen our public transportation system and make us more bikeable too. And yes, I still want Birmingham to be accessible for cars.”

The days of walking to visit relatives and easily catching public transit can return, he said.

“Our kids should be able to walk to school or to grandma’s house. Catching a transit bus should be just as easy and convenient as driving. You should feel safe on a bicycle.”

Woodfin encouraged citizens to visit goBHM to stay informed and look for ways to share input.

“I look forward to running into you out on the sidewalk,” Woodfin said.

©2026 Advance Local Media LLC.
Visit al.com.
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.