Atlanta Transit System "The ATL" Thread
 

I didn't see a thread.

The state and city have started making huge moves to improve transportation around the metro, specifically with MARTA. As the population continues to increase and with whispers that Amazon had chosen the city for it's second headquarters, things will likely get moving soon.

It'll be interesting to see how things play out within the next several years.

https://atlanta.curbed.com/platform/...gional-network

Georgia passes landmark legislation for regional transit; prepare for ‘The ATL’


https://www.myajc.com/blog/commuting...U0N4TZEYqNP6H/

MARTA’s expansion plans for Atlanta: A detailed look

As The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported last week, MARTA and Atlanta have recommended construction of 21 miles of light rail and 18 miles of bus rapid transit lines and other transit improvements for the city.
These are the projects recommended for the “More MARTA” half-penny sales tax Atlanta voters approved in 2016. MARTA offered voters a menu of possible projects before the vote. But only now is it finalizing its plans for the $2.5 billion in sales tax proceeds expected over 40 years.


Atlanta Beltline supporters aren’t happy – the list includes only a third of the proposed Beltline Loop light rail line – but supporters of the proposed Clifton Corridor light rail line to the Emory/CDC area are celebrating.

MARTA and Atlanta employees evaluated dozens of potential projects before settling on the proposed list. MARTA plans to solicit public feedback before approving a final list in September.

Here’s a detailed look at what made the recommended list. We’ve included a project description from MARTA for each project, as well as its share of the sales tax proceeds. The figure is just the local share of the construction, operating and maintenance cost for each project, not the total cost. MARTA expects the federal government is to pay half the construction cost.

Light rail

*Campbellton Line: Five miles of light rail service along Campbellton Road between Oakland City Station and Greenbriar Mall. An arterial rapid transit line has been established. It will be upgraded to bus rapid transit and then to light rail in the long run. $263.7 million (light rail only).

*Clifton Corridor: Four miles of grade-separated light rail service from Lindbergh Station to a new station near Emory. $503.6 million.

*Beltline Loop – Northeast: Three miles of light rail service from Ponce City Market to Lindbergh Station along Atlanta Beltline. $174 million.

*Beltline Loop – Southwest: Four miles of light rail service along Atlanta Beltline from roughly I-20 to Oakland City Station. $196.2 million.

*Crosstown Downtown West Extension: Three miles of light rail service from the Atlanta Streetcar to the Atlanta Beltline – Southwest. $171.6 million.

*Crosstown Downtown East Extension: Two miles of light rail service from the Atlanta Streetcar to Ponce City Market along Atlanta Beltline – Northeast. $189.8 million.

*Atlanta Streetcar operations: MARTA will begin operating the streetcar on July 1. $100 million.

Bus rapid transit

*Campbellton Line: Five miles of in-street bus rapid transit service along Campbellton Road between Oakland City Station and Greenbriar Mall. The line began as arterial rapid transit, but will be upgraded to BRT and later to light rail. $130 million (bus rapid transit only).

*Capitol Avenue Line: Three miles of in-street bus rapid transit service along Capitol Avenue/Hank Aaron Drive/Luckie Street from Atlanta Beltline - Southeast to North Avenue. $98.5 million.

*North Avenue Line: Four miles of in-street bus rapid transit service along D.L. Hollowell Parkway/North Avenue from Bankhead Station to Atlanta Beltline – Northeast. $119.5 million.

*Northside-Metropolitan Line: Six miles of bus rapid transit from the Atlanta Metropolitan State College (south of I-20) to a new regional bus system transfer point at I-75 north. $94.3 million.

Arterial rapid transit

*Route 510 - Peachtree Buckhead: Arterial rapid transit service from Brookhaven Station to Arts Center Station to serve denser residential development in northeastern Buckhead. $21.7 million.

* Route 578 - Cleveland Avenue: Arterial rapid transit service from West End Station to Cleveland Avenue. $37.5 million.

*Route 583 - Campbellton Line: Arterial rapid transit along Campbellton Road from Greenbriar Mall to Oakland City Station. Mostly finished. Will be upgraded to bus rapid transit and, eventually, to light rail. $27.6 million (ART only).

*Route 595 - Metropolitan Parkway: Arterial rapid transit from West End Station along Metropolitan Parkway. $31.6 million.

Other transit improvements

*Bus service improvements: Bus frequency, span of service, and community circulator improvements across routes primarily within the City of Atlanta. Most of these improvements have already been made. $210 million.

*Greenbriar Transit Center: Park and ride transit hub for local or enhanced bus service at Greenbriar Mall along Greenbriar Parkway. $5 million.

*Moores Mill Transit Center: Park and ride transit hub for local or enhanced bus service at Bolton Road and Marietta Boulevard. $2 million.

*Station enhancements: Access, wayfinding, operational, aesthetic improvements across stations within the City of Atlanta. $125 million.

*General amenities: Bus stop amenities, including shelters, seating, and digital information at many bus stops within the City of Atlanta.

Can you provide links as to what MARTA is doing?

Are there any plans for a commuter rail system for Atlanta?

I think they're squabbling over what to do now.

Updated OP

pretty much the case.

there's a group called "beltline rail now!" who wants the focus on building out the full loop of rail as the highest priority; right now the clifton corridor is getting the most attention from marta, and rightly so IMO since it's connecting the biggest employment center in the city without any mass transit or highway access. the group has a valid point however that the emory/CDC area wasn't incorporated into the city until after the vote occurred, and there is also a lawsuit pending from dekalb county over lost tax revenue for schools. your choice of words is quite accurate.

Do we have to keep referring to Atlanta as ATL? Is that like a requirement now? It's nearly obnoxious as "Chi-Town"...

that isnt by choice... https://atlanta.curbed.com/2018/3/30...gional-network

The OMG

Yeah that won't be confusing at all...

Some marketing firm probably got payed six-figures for this nonsense no doubt.

I don't hate it. Boston's got the T, Chicago has the L. If it ties into a brand that Atlantans already identify with, then it could help persuade some people to use transit. A generation ago, racist people slammed MARTA with the infamous "Moving Africans Rapidly Through Atlanta" so I think branding matters, especially in a region that doesn't have a transit culture (or where that culture is strongly tied to race/income).

It's not clear if the ATL branding will replace MARTA and suburban transit providers' identities, or just be tacked on top. Ideally it would be a total switchover.

The should have gone with the ANT.

Ride the ANT, man!

ATL is better than MARTA to me. SEPTA is probably the worst in this country though, reminds me of septic tank.

Atlanta-Region Transit Link reminds me too much of TransLink in Vancouver. But I guess it's better than an overly long and nonsensical name like Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority. And to link transit into the city's identity is probably not a bad idea.

What about rail expansion? Any news on this?

And just today it was announced that suburban Gwinnett County (population over 900,000) will vote in Nov. 2019 on possible heavy rail expansion into the county.

https://www.ajc.com/news/local-govt-...variation-test

Please voted yes for MARTA to Gwinnett service expansion. Don't forget!

Just remember if they passed more than 70%. Please make sure if you vote yes MARTA to Gwinnett service expansion.

please!

MARTA's Five Points station preps for $150 million makeover

The makeover — work should be done in 2025, MARTA says — will add lighting and other upgrades to the concrete hulk of a station, according to a presentation yesterday by Jeff Parker, MARTA’s CEO, to state lawmakers. Led by design firm Skidmore, Owings, & Merrill, the project also calls for turning the above-ground Brutalist structure into an open plaza and reconnecting streets, plus prepping for a pair of skyscrapers or another transit-oriented development in the future.

https://images.axios.com/0K7fHjlubcW...7187851628.png

https://images.axios.com/-ENPLHqll8N...7213308916.png

This is nice, but still lipstick on a pig. There needs to be a regional multimodal station.....