Atlanta's Regional Rail and Transit Systems.

[Lady Celeste]

MARTA throws off dowdy look!

After years of the old stale look, MARTA is refurbishing it's rail cars. Some of them 30 years old.

A step inside one of the refurbished cars reveals a dramatic change. The dingy brown carpet is gone, replaced by a warm, sage-green rubberized flooring that is much easier to clean. The lights are brighter, the walls are pristine, and the all-metal handrails sparkle.

Under the hood, so to speak, everything is new, from the brakes to the propulsion system.

"These are like new vehicles," said Ken McDonald, MARTA's assistant general manager for rail operations.

MARTA is pouring $346 million into the project, which should keep the cars running for 15 more years. It costs $1.5 million to renovate each car, compared with about $3 million for a new vehicle.

Transit system officials say the refurbished cars should provide a more pleasant and comfortable ride, with far fewer of the delays and service interruptions that have plagued the system in recent years.

It's part of a complete overhaul of MARTA's infrastructure that includes a new fare gate system, the rebuilding of all 48 miles of track and 100 brand-new train cars added to the fleet over the past few years.

Read the full story here:

The new look of MARTA

Old look of trains:

New look of trains:

Old inside view of trains:

New inside view of trains:

[Hybrid0NE]

MARTA adds Shuttle Fee...

[CLICK HERE] for the article, but MARTA free shuttle to Turner Field is no more. It'll cost $1 more each way to get from the train/bus to the Braves gates.

Just my luck, my first baseball season in the city and they take away the freebies. It could be worse, I guess...

[Martinman]

The group Citizens for Progressive Transit compiled this map which includes all of the existing, proposed and planned transit routes including a few suggested tweaks. Hopefully the new regional trasnportation board will pick up on this and coordinate all of the various plans into one system. Of course they have to study the situation for TWO YEARS!

Edited April 8, 2006 by Martinman

[Student]

Woa!!! that's limitless transportation. You could go anywhere. About when would this be a reality?

[Martinman]

Woa!!! that's limitless transportation. You could go anywhere. About when would this be a reality?

Lets just say a very long time. I think we will most likely see the Peachtree streetcar, some BRT routes and the commuter line to Lovejoy being built in the next five years. A portion of the beltline may be possible also. Most of it is contingent upon whether or not the state govn't ever gets serious about anything but roads.

[ironchapman]

That plan is AMAZING!! I've seen it before. It would be amazing to have it all completed, even though some of it may never get further than that plan you just posted. I'm really looking forward to the streetcar and the Lovejoy line. Let's hope they get built.

[atlrvr]

Hmmm...while in general I like the plan...there are some really awkward things to it in my opinion.

The DMU from Five Points to Emory, and the silver heavy rail lines don't make much sense.

Also, all the street car lines only intersect with the proposed Peachtree line. Since the Peachtree line will probably be the slowest transit line on earth, this seems short sighted.

There are too many technologies proposed, and the transfers seem difficult.

[Martinman]

^^^ Thats because nearly every one of these is proposed or planned by a different group or jurisdiction. Thats where the new transportation board will come into play by coordinating the various systems and perhaps bringing them under one umbrella.

The silver lines are BRT for the suburb to suburb commuting and if you were ever on 285 during rush hour it would make a whole lot of sense.

The main purpose of the Emory loop is to connect that high employment area with Marta.

[atlrvr]

Ahhh....i see that about the silver line now....ok, I'm good with that one.

I assume the "black" light-rail line is the beltline?

I like the eastern portion all the way up to ponce springs, but then I would have it swing west, go underground through midtown (somehow crossing the connector) serve Atlantic station and then travel out to Cobb.....but not KSU...come on, that's commuter rail land out there.

I think the areas around Piedmont Park, 10th and the actual beltline greenway, are best served with street cars which could be extended out to Emory.

I really do like the North Ave street car line, but it doesn't need to dip down to connect with the Decatur heavy-rail stop.

[teshadoh]

I believe that Emory loop you all are reffering to is the 'C Loop', which is a transit line proposed before the Beltline, which has since been consolidated into the 'Alternative Plan' by MARTA. What would likely be developed is something combined, since there is overlap.

As for the Peachtree streetcar line - it is parrallel with the MARTA line, so any transfer is a short walk from a MARTA station. The only significant gap is through Buckhead, which will be very questionable how that will be put off.

Of course it is very unfortunate that - in reality - the MARTA heavy rail tracks are at full build out. Though it will serve as the cog for any further advancement in Atlanta transit. So on a positive note, I think the current system handles the 'core' area of Atlanta & allows a greater seamless transit system.

I think this is the case nationally - Washington's METRO, though there are heavy rail expansions has also gotten into the light rail business & has considered BRT. Practically heavy rail is too expensive to build, whereas light rail & BRT are cheaper & quicker to implement.

Except for the GA 400 corridor, commuter rail will serve the needs of suburban areas anyways, thus the need for MARTA expansion may no longer be a neccessity.

[teshadoh]

Ahhh....i see that about the silver line now....ok, I'm good with that one.

I assume the "black" light-rail line is the beltline?

I like the eastern portion all the way up to ponce springs, but then I would have it swing west, go underground through midtown (somehow crossing the connector) serve Atlantic station and then travel out to Cobb.....but not KSU...come on, that's commuter rail land out there.

I think the areas around Piedmont Park, 10th and the actual beltline greenway, are best served with street cars which could be extended out to Emory.

I really do like the North Ave street car line, but it doesn't need to dip down to connect with the Decatur heavy-rail stop.

That 'green' line to KSU is a planned BRT called the Northwest Connectivity study. It's part of ARC's Mobility 2030 plan & includes a parrallel Cobb Pkwy route, where most of the line after it enters the Vinings area is along I-75.

The street car line that intersects the North Ave street car line is actually Ponce de Leon, which would follow the original #2 line to Decatur. Considering the map is not spatialy accurate, that 'dip' doesn't exist - it is nearly due east. But I have thought before that a Scott Blvd BRT / light rail line would be successful, that could split off at Ponce de Leon near Decatur.

[Andrea]

As for the Peachtree streetcar line - it is parrallel with the MARTA line, so any transfer is a short walk from a MARTA station.

I had not heard this. I was under the impression that the Peachtree streetcar would actually go up Peachtree Street. The MARTA line, of course, loops from 14th Street all the way to Lindbergh, and then follows the "back route" to Lenox and thence on to points north.

That leaves approximately 5 miles of the central Peachtree corridor unserved by rail. That area is possibly the city's most established residential, shopping, dining area and it seems a shame to omit it from streetcar service.

Being able to hop on the streetcar and travel from, say, the High Museum to the History Center, and to stop at the many restaurants and shops along the way, would be great. I could also see people who live in many of the condos and residential neighborhoods along Peachtree using the streetcar to get around. It seems to me that having the streetcar go along Peachtree would do a lot for knitting the primary districts of the central city together. It would have to help downtown. Yes, there's the 23 bus but I think there are people who might not take the bus but who would ride light rail

Edited April 10, 2006 by Andrea

[catlike]

^^

I'm totally in agreement.

Peachtree needs some sort of efficient transportation going past, say, 16th Street. There is so much going on between that point and Buckhead, but it doesn't seem worth the effort to navigate the traffic or sit on a bus that stops at every corner.

[teshadoh]

...woah, what did I say?

I mean the streetcar line, along Peachtree St is parrallel with the MARTA line, through downtown. Then north of Midtown through Buckhead it veers away from the MARTA line.

Sorry for the confusion, whatever you all believed to be true, is still true. I'm just stretching the concept of truth evidentally

[Andrea]

Brad, I had been told by several people who were "in a position to know" (as the saying goes) that the streetcar would run along Peachtree from downtown, through Midtown and Buckhead, and end up near Roxboro or possibly Brookhaven. I know the Cousins people were thinking it would go past their Terminus project at Peachtree and Piedmont. Is that no longer the case?

[teshadoh]

Brad, I had been told by several people who were "in a position to know" (as the saying goes) that the streetcar would run along Peachtree from downtown, through Midtown and Buckhead, and end up near Roxboro or possibly Brookhaven. I know the Cousins people were thinking it would go past their Terminus project at Peachtree and Piedmont. Is that no longer the case?

Andrea - please - I really thought I cleared that up, it is still the case. I'm not sure what exactly, or how exactly, I said that didn't make you feel otherwise. In fact though - the streetcar line now starts in West End on Whitehall St, where it continues along Peachtree all the way to Roxboro. Additionally, there is also the downtown streetcar loop that is envisioned as well.

I assure you & everyone else, as far as I know the plan is still to follow Peachtree St. I'm sorry if anything I said made you feel otherwise. The greatest challenge though, is that this project will have to likely be funded completely private, as I doubt any local or federal money will assist it.

[Andrea]

Brad, sorry I misunderstood. I was reading your comments to mean that the streetcar would literally parallel the MARTA line and there'd thus be a significant gap in Buckhead.

I agree with you about the funding challenge. Wonder if they would do this along the lines of the PPI's they're using to fund the big highway projects? I'm thinking I read somewhere that the projected cost of the streetcar would be in the range of $300 million. While that's nothing to sneeze at, it's no more than Cousins is investing in Terminus, for instance, and it certainly pales in comparison to many of the multi-billion dollar highway projects.

Edited April 11, 2006 by Andrea

[Martinman]

MARTA buses to link tourist favorites - AJC

MARTA is starting shuttle bus service this spring in downtown and Midtown linking major hotels to the Georgia Aquarium, Martin Luther King Jr. historic district, High Museum of Art, Atlanta Botanical Garden, CNN Center and a number of other sites.

The service dubbed the Atlanta Tourist Loop as a play on the city's "ATL" nickname, will start April 29 downtown. A separate Midtown route will roll out by Memorial Day.

MARTA may not have a monopoly on the tourist market for long.

Downtown business leaders plan to start shuttle service by the end of the year between Centennial Olympic Park and the King Center, offering free rides and trolley like shuttles that arrive every 15 minutes. And a group of business and community leaders brought together by Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin are meeting to try to bring back streetcars to the Peachtree corridor and downtown.

Edited April 15, 2006 by Martinman

[Andrea]

Slightly off topic, but I truly wonder who thought GA 400 was necessary? This was taken today at 6:00 p.m., right in the thick of rush hour. Yet I don't see any traffic that couldn't easily be handled by normal surface streets. You'll also note that almost none of this is local traffic -- these vehicles are simply passing through. There are only 1 or 2 vehicles on the exit and entrance ramps.

And at what cost was this road built? I'm not talking about just the construction itself, but the way it ripped the city apart. I don't think we'll recover from that for generations.

And yeah, I'll admit it, I think GA 400 has been one of the most destructive forces to hit Atlanta in the last 30 years.

[LizellaJacket]

Slightly off topic, but I truly wonder who thought GA 400 was necessary? This was taken today at 6:00 p.m., right in the thick of rush hour. Yet I don't see any traffic that couldn't easily be handled by normal surface streets. You'll also note that almost none of this is local traffic -- these vehicles are simply passing through. There are only 1 or 2 vehicles on the exit and entrance ramps.

And at what cost was this road built? I'm not talking about just the construction itself, but the way it ripped the city apart. I don't think we'll recover from that for generations.

And yeah, I'll admit it, I think GA 400 has been one of the most destructive forces to hit Atlanta in the last 30 years.

Hmm, I'm not sure if you've ever traveled 400 if you dont think it's necessary. It is always parcked to the gill during rush hour and if that were transfered to surface streets, well you'd have an even bigger mess.

[Andrea]

^Well, I took this picture at 6:00 p.m. yesterday and that's pretty typical. I don't call that "packed to the gills."

And necessary to what? The vehicles all seem to be passing through -- you can't get off until you get all the way to the Perimeter, as I recall -- rather than serving the local area.

[teshadoh]

The stretch from Glenridge to Buckhead Loop is the least travelled - but fortunately thanks to the 400 construction MARTA was able to extend a line. Consider - would MARTA have ever been able to build a transit line by themselves, they needed the God ordained power of the GA DOT to get it done.

[Topped Out]

Slightly off topic, but I truly wonder who thought GA 400 was necessary?

You can't be serious. Surface streets like Roswell Road, Peachtree Industrial and Buford Highway all have heavy volume at rush hour. If GA 400 didn't exist, the people living to the north of the perimeter wouldn't get home until midnight.

Granted, PIB and Buford Highway are not as bad at rush hour, but Roswell Road is a total disaster with all of the traffic lights.

[Andrea]

If GA 400 didn't exist, the people living to the north of the perimeter wouldn't get home until midnight.

Maybe the city wouldn't have sprawled out to the four corners of the universe if the government hadn't spent countless billions to make it so convenient to live 30 miles from where you work. (While coincidentally tearing up the old neighborhoods in the process).

As to the ability of the surface streets to handle more traffic, it would have been far simpler to increase connectivity, the efficiency of nodes, the timing of traffic signals, limiting curb cuts, etc., etc. The most telling fact is that despite the monumental and never-ending quest to build more and bigger freeways, traffic and sprawl only get worse and worse.

[Topped Out]

Maybe the city wouldn't have sprawled out to the four corners of the universe if the government hadn't spent countless billions to make it so convenient to live 30 miles from where you work. (While coincidentally tearing up the old neighborhoods in the process).

As to the ability of the surface streets to handle more traffic, it would have been far simpler to increase connectivity, the efficiency of nodes, the timing of traffic signals, limiting curb cuts, etc., etc. The most telling fact is that despite the monumental and never-ending quest to build more and bigger freeways, traffic and sprawl only get worse and worse.

There is no denying that building more lanes on established freeways is not the answer to solving the traffic problem. And I can't tell you how many times I get stopped by every traffic light on a street because of how poorly timed the lights are (this is the most irritating thing in my mind). But since Marta does not extend passed North Springs station or Doraville, roads unfortunately are the only answer to those traveling into the city from outside the perimeter.

Sprawl is inevitable. It can be found in every major city. And maybe the govenment didn't think that Atlanta would grow to the size it is now. Either way, since public transportation is not available to those outside the perimeter, the only travel choice is to drive.