Columbus has taken the first small step toward realizing the return of rail service between here and Atlanta, according to a consulting firm that performed a feasibility study of high-speed rail.

The study, which was presented in its final form this week in Columbus Council chambers, says that a high-speed electric train, capable of speeds up to 220 mph, could be in place in about 20 years and could be profitable immediately, said Kirsten Berry, project manager for HNTB Corp.

There is a set process that the federal government requires rail projects to follow, Berry explained at a public hearing Tuesday at the City Services Center. Now that the feasibility study is done, two levels of environmental impact studies must be completed before preliminary design, final design and right-of-way acquisition can be done over the next 18 or so years, Berry said. Then construction can begin.

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