The local group will ask the railroad passenger company to provide some form of short-term bus connection from Augusta to a nearby city with existing passenger rail service, such as Atlanta or Columbia. Officials say they also are hopeful that Amtrak will be convinced of their long-term plan to bring high-speed rail service to the heart of the city.

``The sales pitch is going to be about the community,'' said Jim West, the president of the Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce, who is slated to attend today's meeting. ``We want to be sure they know we're here, that we are the second-largest (city in Georgia), and we want to be sure we're included.''

Every major city in the southeast - Columbus, Atlanta, Macon, Savannah, Columbia and Greenville-Spartanburg - has a connection to Amtrak, but Augusta doesn't. And Amtrak's national rail plan does not show any intention to add Augusta to its rail line.

That's something local officials say they hope to persuade Amtrak officials to change.

``We want Amtrak to know Augusta is interested in passenger service,'' Mayor Bob Young said.

The Augusta representatives will meet with Joe McHugh, vice president for governmental affairs for Amtrak. The main points they will make to rail representatives are:

The city's central location between Atlanta and Columbia

Augusta's adequacy for rail infrastructure, shown through existing freight service to the area

The opportunity to improve Amtrak's connectivity by linking Augusta to other historical cities, such as Charleston, S.C.; Memphis, Tenn.; and Savannah.

The service would likely begin with the short-term bus service, but local officials want to get a connecting train brought directly to the city and Amtrak's high-speed line rerouted to travel through Augusta.

``Most successful cities have multimodal alternatives for transportation,'' said Augusta Commissioner Steve Shepard, who was expected to arrive in Washington by train from Spartanburg, S.C., this morning. ``I see it as a way to bring about economic development.''

Reach Heidi Coryell at (706) 823-3215.