459 replies to this topic

[Mellophonius]

Yeah, Cobb County doesn't want the "rabble" that apparently ride MARTA up from Atlanta.... the same reason Sandy Springs complained when MARTA was extended up there. It seems to me like most people in the northern suburbs think they're too good for Atlanta, that Atlanta is a crime-ridden wasteland while the northern suburban area is just the perfect place to live. I say it's the product of being just a bit too wealthy for their own good. I'd take Atlanta and most of the ITP neighborhoods over Cobb County any day.

[Martinman]

xikartu, on 06 May 2010 - 08:41 AM, said:

Cobb County is drawing up its own plans for a commuter rail for its County. Not heavy rail, but a light rail line that will begin in Kennesaw and terminate at the Cumberland Mall. The project is in its very early stages... simply planning, nothing in the way of funding is secured at the moment (I hope). If the project proposed is acted upon, then it will not be in operation until 2019.

11Alive.com | Atlanta, GA | Video - Cobb Commuter Rail

In my opinion, I think it is a really really stupid idea. MARTA could easily service these areas and with much more efficiency, by creating a NW line that would merge into the main N/NE lines that are in existence. It would dramatically ease the congestion along the NW I-75/I-285 Corridor.

But I guess that's just how Cobb County is...

I don't think its as cynical as it might seem.  Under our current divided transit structure, things get really complicated when you cross jurisdictions with fixed transit, if its even legally possible.  BTW Marta CEO Beverly Scott was at the presentation for this light rail proposal and is fully supportive.

On the bright side, the recently passed transportation bill addresses this problem by creating a commission to study merging the regions transit agencies.  Under a combined governance structure, Marta could extend transit projects to places like Cobb without the county having to "join" Marta.  

Transit Governance Study Commission

[j.midtown]

xikartu, on 06 May 2010 - 08:41 AM, said:

Cobb County is drawing up its own plans for a commuter rail for its County. Not heavy rail, but a light rail line that will begin in Kennesaw and terminate at the Cumberland Mall. The project is in its very early stages... simply planning, nothing in the way of funding is secured at the moment (I hope). If the project proposed is acted upon, then it will not be in operation until 2019.

11Alive.com | Atlanta, GA | Video - Cobb Commuter Rail

In my opinion, I think it is a really really stupid idea. MARTA could easily service these areas and with much more efficiency, by creating a NW line that would merge into the main N/NE lines that are in existence. It would dramatically ease the congestion along the NW I-75/I-285 Corridor.

But I guess that's just how Cobb County is...

This is a known project included in Concept 3. This would be the core segment (from Cobb County's standpoint) of an LRT line that would run from Canton to KSU/Town Center to Cumberland and ultimately to Arts Center Station. From a realistic cost and political standpoint, it's highly unlikely we'll see any significant segment of heavy rail built in the future. The longest segment of HRT in Concept 3 is from Doraville to Norcross.

Mixed modes are definitely the future in the region; a more important point is a unified fare card system at least, if not a single regional operating agency.

[Nashville_maestro]

j.midtown, on 09 May 2010 - 07:32 PM, said:

This is a known project included in Concept 3. This would be the core segment (from Cobb County's standpoint) of an LRT line that would run from Canton to KSU/Town Center to Cumberland and ultimately to Arts Center Station. From a realistic cost and political standpoint, it's highly unlikely we'll see any significant segment of heavy rail built in the future. The longest segment of HRT in Concept 3 is from Doraville to Norcross.

Mixed modes are definitely the future in the region; a more important point is a unified fare card system at least, if not a single regional operating agency.

Most metropolitan regions that have more than one agency running public transit in the area work out deals or offer cards that are accepted across the board. I know San Francisco's MUNI and BART and Tokyo's Metro and JR lines offer this.

[xivinrah]

Nashville_maestro, on 09 May 2010 - 08:09 PM, said:

Most metropolitan regions that have more than one agency running public transit in the area work out deals or offer cards that are accepted across the board. I know San Francisco's MUNI and BART and Tokyo's Metro and JR lines offer this.

JR is a national transit agency in Japan. It services all of Japan and not just Tokyo. I see it a bit differently as JR makes traveling throughout the nation much more efficient and effective, whereas Tokyo Metro makes traveling through Tokyo Metro much more efficiently. Not that they shouldn't offer cards that are accepted by both, but I wouldn't say that JR and Tokyo Metro serve the exact same purpose. But I could be wrong.

I kind of figured there were two different transit systems serving San Francisco seeing as though the trolley system had always been extremely popular there and the BART is widely used. I wonder if there is a third transit system in the Bay Area as well... because San Jose is another major city close by.

Edited by xikartu, 10 May 2010 - 12:28 PM.

[Martinman]

Nashville_maestro, on 09 May 2010 - 08:09 PM, said:

Most metropolitan regions that have more than one agency running public transit in the area work out deals or offer cards that are accepted across the board. I know San Francisco's MUNI and BART and Tokyo's Metro and JR lines offer this.

Thats already the case here as well.  I know I've read where Gwinnett's system was the last to go live with the Breeze card system and I believe that was a year ago.  The Breeze card is also accepted by Cobb's bus system, and the Xpress bus system as well.

[Kenneth Disraili-Jean]

I just saw on the television news yesterday about MARTA's latest financial woos.

MARTA is going to be cutting bus routes from 133 to 91, which includes the Braves Shuttle. And rail service will also be receiving cuts as well.

Over 300 MARTA associates will be losing their jobs. This is just one big mess.

Some Atlantans may be aware of this and some not, so I'm going to make this information available:

Out of the 10 largest transit agencies in the United States with MARTA raking seventh, MARTA is the only transit agency that receives absolutely NO state funding. And it has always been that way since MARTA's creation back in 1971.

Now the agency is on a ventilator and life support and I really don't know what can be done to help the agency, but I am very disturbed about it, and somewhat angry at our state, because MARTA has so much potential to be one of the best transit systems in the country.

I hope a solution will be found quickly before it is too late. And then what?

Edited by Kenneth Disraili, 28 May 2010 - 10:16 AM.

[Martinman]

Atlanta gets $47 million in federal funds for the streetcar line in the downtown area.


The line will run from Centennial Olympic Park and the historic district along Edgewood and Auburn avenues to the King Center.  The total cost of the project is $70 million.  This is the 2.7 mile "downtown loop" portion of the Peachtree streetcar plan.


Feds put up $47M for Atlanta streetcar


For more detail on the plan, here is the grant application.

http://www.atlantado...tigerii_app.pdf

[krazeeboi]

Well it's good that the rest of the funding appears to be in place. Even though this line will be tourist-oriented, it's still a great start. Now let's get the Peachtree line funded.

[Martinman]

krazeeboi, on 16 October 2010 - 05:44 AM, said:

Well it's good that the rest of the funding appears to be in place. Even though this line will be tourist-oriented, it's still a great start. Now let's get the Peachtree line funded.

Its a popular misconception that this route will only be used by tourists.  In fact there is also a 31,000 student university, 6 parks, two medical facilities as well as numerous other job centers, 4,000 housing units with another 2,000 planned housing units and over 7,000 residents directly on the route.  And I forgot to mention a direct connection to a very busy Marta station - Peachtree Center.

Edited by Martinman, 16 October 2010 - 01:41 PM.

[krazeeboi]

I didn't say it would only be used by tourists, but that it is tourist-oriented, particularly when compared to the Peachtree line. It's bookended by two popular tourist sites. That's not such a bad thing since it will appeal to more than one group.

[Martinman]

Well of course they route a new transit line toward the activity centers but I don't agree that it is tourist oriented either.  If it were, the route would orient towards the major hotels, have much shorter operating hours and have no fare.  Most of the big hotels are 3-5 blocks from Centennial park and will be exactly the same distance from this line.

[Martinman]

The DOT has scheduled meetings with five developers, three local and two based in Chicago, that are interested in partnering with the state on the downtown  multimodal station and surrounding development.  The meetings are in preparation for RFP's that will go out in December. The agency expects to award the contract on May 1.

Five developers to meet with GDOT about transit hub

[Martinman]

The city has approved spending an additional $9 million from its car rental tax surplus to buy new streetcar vehicles as opposed to the refurbished ones planned for in the streetcar proposal. They also voted to connect the streetcar with the Beltline.  Construction on the route will begin in the fall.

Atlanta City Council approves $9M for streetcar- AJC


The new cars will be similar to these used in San Diego. (two cars)

Edited by Martinman, 14 March 2011 - 08:12 PM.

[Martinman]

Here's a good illustration all existing and planned transit in the city and how they fit together.

[orulz]

GDOT has selected Cousins/Forest City/Integral as the private partner for developing the MMPT downtown.
Link here.

The Operational Requirements report is particularly interesting. Whereas previously published reports showed east-west oriented platforms very close to Five Points MARTA. However, the abandonment of the Decatur Belt for the Beltline has made that layout infeasible, and it has shifted to north-south platforms that are right next to the Georgia Dome MARTA station but connected by a roughly 2/10 mile walking concourse to Five Points. The exception is for the line to Madison/Augusta where they indicate an (optional) single platform oriented east/west and dedicated to serving that line.

[Lady Celeste]

A study envisions rail transit across top of Perimeter.

A transit study funded by the state (fancy that) and business organizations finds public support for transit. This is something I have known for years. I'm just glad that the state is finally waking up and participating in discussions regarding public transportation for the Atlanta region...a very vital part to the economy of Georgia. I look forward to this going beyond a study. With the formation of the new Atlanta Region Transportation District (or something like that), I am hopeful that many new state/private initiatives can take place to keep the metro area competitive.  

What was of note from the article was the extension of the red line from the North Springs Station up to Holcomb Bridge Rd in Roswell. This is a much need extension. I wonder why it's cheaper to extend heavy rail (not that I'm complaining because HR has a much larger capacity than LR) up the corridor than adding LR. I was also interested in the LR extension from Cumberland over to Perimeter Center. More East/West connectivity is definitely need in the northern suburbs.

I'm super excited to read such articles. It's things like this that make Urbanplanet.org so important. We want to enhance the urban experience. With the 12 county region soon to vote on a region wide transit plan, if passed, could jumpstart something really special in the metro region.

To read the article for yourself, click here: Metro Transit

[xivinrah]

Lady Celeste, on 28 June 2011 - 10:45 AM, said:

A study envisions rail transit across top of Perimeter.

A transit study funded by the state (fancy that) and business organizations finds public support for transit. This is something I have known for years. I'm just glad that the state is finally waking up and participating in discussions regarding public transportation for the Atlanta region...a very vital part to the economy of Georgia. I look forward to this going beyond a study. With the formation of the new Atlanta Region Transportation District (or something like that), I am hopeful that many new state/private initiatives can take place to keep the metro area competitive.  

What was of note from the article was the extension of the red line from the North Springs Station up to Holcomb Bridge Rd in Roswell. This is a much need extension. I wonder why it's cheaper to extend heavy rail (not that I'm complaining because HR has a much larger capacity than LR) up the corridor than adding LR. I was also interested in the LR extension from Cumberland over to Perimeter Center. More East/West connectivity is definitely need in the northern suburbs.

I'm super excited to read such articles. It's things like this that make Urbanplanet.org so important. We want to enhance the urban experience. With the 12 county region soon to vote on a region wide transit plan, if passed, could jumpstart something really special in the metro region.

To read the article for yourself, click here: Metro Transit

I wonder why they won't consider a heavy rail segment into Cobb Co. via I-75 corridor... at least up through Cumberland/Vinings with a terminus at Smyrna. Same goes for Gwinnett Co. an extension of existing heavy rail through Norcross. Light rail may be cheaper, but it is much less effective and efficient. I honestly don't see myself riding a light rail line over driving, because in some cases it would take me longer to drive up to a light rail station, the light rail has to travel in and along already congested vehicular traffic corridors, (so you still face the same delays), and top speed is probably no more than 45-50 mph. So what is the advantage of light rail over a heavy rail aside from cost?

[Martinman]

The roundtable to determine the project list to go before voters next year as released a final draft list.  There could still be some minor changes.  Here are the transit projects that got funding.  If passed, this would be a huge step in the right direction but none of the transit expansion projects got the total amount projected to complete the various projects so other funds will still have to be found.

Arts Center to Cumberland LRT - $856 million vs projected $1.2 billion to complete
Clifton Corridor Marta expansion - $700 million of $1.1 billion
Beltline Transit - $600 million of $1.5 billion
Marta State of Good Repair - $600 million
Marta Indian Creek to Wesley Chapel - $225 million of $791 million


http://atlantaregion...st_08-15-11.pdf

[Martinman]

The 2.6-mile Atlanta Streetcar officially started construction in downtown this past Wednesday.




Atlanta Streetcar project under way - Business Chronicle