Metro Atlanta

===Commercial railways===
Before Atlanta was even a city, it was a [[railroad]] [[Transport hub|hub]]. From this came the joke, popular among other [[SCulture of the Southern United States|Southerners]], that "regardless of whether one goes to [[heaven]] or [[hell]], everyone must go through Atlanta first". Many of its suburbs pre-date it as depots or [[train station]]s along the major lines in and out of town.

Many of these [[historic]] stations, including Atlanta's [[Atlanta Union Station (1930)|Union Station]] and [[Terminal Station (Atlanta)|Terminal Station]], were [[demolition|demolished]] like many county [[courthouse]]s and other historic buildings. Many have been saved however, including the [[L&N]] station in Woodstock, and the stations along the main [[W&A]] line in Marietta and Smyrna.

Through [[merger]]s, the main railroads in the area are now [[Norfolk Southern]] and [[CSX]]. The [[Georgia Northeastern Railroad]] is a [[short-line railroad|short line]] that also services part of the area. There are also several [[railyards of Atlanta]] and vicinity, as well as the [[Southeastern Railway Museum]] and the [[Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History]].

The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, more commonly known as [[Amtrak]], runs the [[intercity rail]] line [[Crescent (Amtrak)|Crescent]] through metro Atlanta twice daily, with one train heading towards [[New Orleans]] and the other headed towards [[New York (city)|New York]]. All trains make a scheduled stop at [[Peachtree Station]] in northern Midtown Atlanta, but it is also possible for arrange for trains to stop in [[Gainesville, Georgia|Gainesville]], Georgia as well.