Timeline

1998

  • Nashville Area MPO / RTA complete the Commuter Rail Feasibility Study to evaluate a multi-corridor commuter rail system
    Commuter rail feasibility (1998)

2005

  • RTA Music City Star Commuter Rail begins between Lebanon and Nashville
    RTA music city star begins (2005)

2007

  • Nashville Area MPO completes the Southeast Corridor Alternatives Analysis and recommends enhanced bus service between Murfreesboro and Nashville
    South East Corridor alternatives analysis (2007)

2009

  • TN General Assembly passes legislation further empowering the Regional Transportation Authority to fund, build, and operate a regional transit system
    TN General Assembly passes legislation for RTA to fund build, and operate transit system (2009)

2010

  • Nashville Area MPO adopts 2035 Regional Transportation Plan which includes first comprehensive vision for region rapid transit
    MPO adopts 2035 Regional Transportation plan (2010)

2011

  • Nashville Area MPO completes the Northeast Corridor Mobility Study and recommends Bus Rapid Transit and managed lanes between Gallatin and Nashville
    MPO completes NE corridor mobility study (2011)

2012

  • Nashville MTA completes the East West Connect Study and recommends the bus rapid transit service between East Nashville and West End which became known as The Amp
    East-West Connector logo

2014

  • The Amp is awarded $75 million in federal funding through the competitive Small Starts program
    Computer rendered bus

2015

  • The Amp stalls and is cancelled
  • Nashville Area MPO completes the Southeast Area Transportation and Land Use Study to re-evaluate transportation strategies for the I-24 corridor between Murfreesboro and Nashville; findings are incorporated into the TDOT I-24 study
  • TDOT completes the I-24 Corridor Study and Monorail Assessment I-24 corridor study logo

2016

  • Nashville Area MPO adopts the 2040 Regional Transportation Plan reaffirming the vision for transit and including more than $1.2 Billion in anticipated federal revenue for regional rapid transit
    MPO adopts 2040 regional transportation plan (2016)
  • TN General Assembly passes legislation enabling the use of Public Private Partnerships for the development and construction of transit projects
  • RTA completes the Northwest Corridor Feasibility Study and recommends commuter rail between Clarksville and Nashville
    RTA completes the Northwest corridor study (2016)
  • RTA and the Nashville MTA mutually adopt the first regional transit master plan to operationalize the transit component of the MPO Regional Transportation Plan

2017

  • 25-year Strategic Plan for Transit study conducted
    nMotion logo
  • TN General Assembly passes the IMPROVE Act increasing the state's gas tax rate to fund transportation projects and establishing a local option for certain counties to levee a transit surtax via voter approval to help fund regional transit projects
    TN general assembly passes IMPROVE act (2017)
  • The Nashville Area MPO Program is integrated into the Greater Nashville Regional Council (GNRC) to align regional transportation planning with other regional planning and economic and community development efforts
    MPO integrated into GNRC (2017)
  • First public referendum for transit via the Let's Move Nashville initiative is rejected by voters

2018

  • Let's Move Nashville fails at ballot box
    Let's Move Nashville poster
  • IMPROVE Act passes
  • MTA begins rebranding to WeGo Public Transit

2019

  • GNRC and WeGo initiate the South Corridor Study to work with the public to identify transportation solutions for the fast growing I-65 corridor between Nashville and Columbia with a focus on determining the most appropriate investment in rapid transit
    South Corridor Study logo