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Old 03-10-2011, 01:26 PM
 
Location: Atlanta
166 posts, read 326,144 times
Reputation: 140

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Quote:
Originally Posted by RZaakir View Post
I was on the streetcar walk last Saturday and it was stated that service could start as early as late 2012.
I wish I could've made it to that. Sounds cool.

Did they mention anything about a contract being made for the construction? I'm really looking forward to seeing some progress with it. It's so exciting. I know it's going to be pretty disruptive downtown for a while during construction (I live near the route) but I'll be happy to wait through the noise and traffic disruptions so I can see this underway.
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Old 03-11-2011, 09:55 AM
 
Location: The Greatest city on Earth: City of Atlanta Proper
8,487 posts, read 15,014,371 times
Reputation: 7344
Everything is a go:

Atlanta City Council approves $9M for streetcar *| ajc.com

Highlights from the article:
  • Construction will begin this Fall.
  • MARTA has been awarded the build contract.
  • New streetcars will be purchased since they have lower floors making it easier for people to board. Especially those with bikes or in wheelchairs.
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Old 03-11-2011, 10:01 AM
 
Location: New York City Area
444 posts, read 704,141 times
Reputation: 259
Quote:
Originally Posted by waronxmas View Post
Everything is a go:

Atlanta City Council approves $9M for streetcar *| ajc.com

Highlights from the article:
  • Construction will begin this Fall.
  • MARTA has been awarded the build contract.
  • New streetcars will be purchased since they have lower floors making it easier for people to board. Especially those with bikes or in wheelchairs.

Another interesting little tidbit from that article:

Quote:
The council also voted to connect the streetcar route to the proposed Atlanta BeltLine.
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Old 03-11-2011, 12:28 PM
 
32,032 posts, read 36,829,063 times
Reputation: 13312
Quote:
Originally Posted by waronxmas View Post
  • MARTA has been awarded the build contract.
Although it might sound like the obvious choice, I wonder if MARTA is the best choice for building this out? MARTA has long been criticized for being too bloated and bureaucratic, and to my knowledge it has no experience with building streetcars whatsoever.

Wouldn't it have been wiser to at least put this out for competitive bids and to shoot for a motivated private contractor that has up to date experience with installing urban streetcar lines?
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Old 03-11-2011, 01:45 PM
 
7,112 posts, read 10,140,572 times
Reputation: 1781
Quote:
Originally Posted by arjay57 View Post
Although it might sound like the obvious choice, I wonder if MARTA is the best choice for building this out? MARTA has long been criticized for being too bloated and bureaucratic, and to my knowledge it has no experience with building streetcars whatsoever.

Wouldn't it have been wiser to at least put this out for competitive bids and to shoot for a motivated private contractor that has up to date experience with installing urban streetcar lines?
Nah, this is an entry-level streetcar project.
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Old 03-11-2011, 02:06 PM
 
32,032 posts, read 36,829,063 times
Reputation: 13312
Quote:
Originally Posted by MathmanMathman View Post
Nah, this is an entry-level streetcar project.
Heh.

I'm just saying that if we want to get this thing up and going quickly (and with a minimum of glitches), it seems like the smart thing would be to go with someone with experience.

I don't doubt MARTA has the capacity to operate the system once it is in place, collect the fares, and learn how to maintain it, but insofar as getting it built in a timely and efficient manner? Well...

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Old 03-11-2011, 02:14 PM
 
Location: The Greatest city on Earth: City of Atlanta Proper
8,487 posts, read 15,014,371 times
Reputation: 7344
Quote:
Originally Posted by arjay57 View Post
Heh.

I'm just saying that if we want to get this thing up and going quickly (and with a minimum of glitches), it seems like the smart thing would be to go with someone with experience.

I don't doubt MARTA has the capacity to operate the system once it is in place, collect the fares, and learn how to maintain it, but insofar as getting it built in a timely and efficient manner? Well...

They are really the best option IMHO.

Not to mention they can implement Breeze on the streetcars from the get go, which is awesome.

Besides, name one other big city public transportation authority that isn't bloated and questionable with finances? At least their our bloated and inefficient organization.
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Old 03-14-2011, 07:18 PM
 
1,868 posts, read 3,071,002 times
Reputation: 1627
Saw this posted on another forum. It's a good illustration on how the streetcar will fit into the rest of Atlanta's proposed transit expansions.


http://img824.imageshack.us/img824/2...capture1xv.png
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Old 03-16-2011, 07:47 PM
 
1,582 posts, read 2,187,461 times
Reputation: 1140
Quote:
Originally Posted by arjay57 View Post
Heh.

I'm just saying that if we want to get this thing up and going quickly (and with a minimum of glitches), it seems like the smart thing would be to go with someone with experience.
Ummm thus MARTA. The list of entities that have build rail transit in this state is really pretty short. Or is it that you think building a simple streetcar loop is somehow more complex than heavy rail?
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Old 03-16-2011, 08:04 PM
 
Location: Atlanta
7,582 posts, read 10,784,784 times
Reputation: 6572
Just wanted to spot something out.

Seimens has a strong presence in the area up in Alpharetta, Duluth, and Suwanee. Part of what they do is engineer and construct public transit, including LRT cars.

Marta would be the best choice for management though, especially with handling the federal grants and reporting on that. They know how to do that as they have done it for years. There is always possibility they could contract out some of the initial construction work. I wish the article said more
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