Design Your Own MARTA Expansion (Atlanta: safety, cheapest, vehicles)

[toll_booth]

Originally Posted by cqholt

I totally agree with you that the Southside is suffering from a lack of transit options. Clayton County voters approved a non-binding MARTA vote. Once they approve the 1 cent sales tax for MARTA, then plans for a rail-line to Clayton County can be explored. I am still thinking on how and where to create a Southside HRT line for my map.

I think it would just follow the freight rail line through Clayton.

[robertpolyglot]

Very simple. Five items:

1. Westside: follow that stub off the west line, and take it to Smyrna, Cumberland and Marietta
2. Northside: complete the North Fulton Corridor
3. Eastside: extend beyond Doraville up to Gwinnett Place Mall
4. Perimeter: TOUGH...but connect Doraville to Cumberland (to create a "cross over")
5. Clayton: take it toward Southlake Mall

With all this in place, it would TRULY be world-class. In my mind, it already is for a metro of its size.

[Mgyeldell]

Here is my idea for ClayCo



It would use the Atlanta Skytrain vehicles and already existing lines. MARTA could take over the operation of the skytrain, keeping it free for the Airport patrons but making the regular commuters pay for the use. It would go from Camp Creek Market Place to Clayton State University passing thru the Phoenix business park and by Southern Regional Medical center, two of the larger employment centers in the county.

Stations (From West to East)
Camp Creek
Washington
Herschel
ConRac
Georgia International Convention Center
Airport (Transfer to Red and Gold Line)
Sullivan
Phoenix
North Clayton
Gardenwalk
Riverdale
Southern Regional
Mount Zion
Southlake
Morrow
Highway 54
Clayton State

Also I envision extending the Red and Gold south line to Pleasant Hill and Old National Rd with 2 new stations. Eventually I would want it to be extended to Union Station in Union City if they can redo the area.

Stations (from North to south)
Godby
Old National

Picture is from Google Earth

[cqholt]

A different approach, but PRT, personal rapid transit, is not for use as a commuter option anymore. The US tried to test this approach, but the costs were too high. LRT is a much better approach, since it does not exclusively use overhead guideways. The Detroit People Mover was such a fail, that PRT left a bad taste in everyones mouth. PRT is primarily use for use in airports and hospitals, except for the successful Morgantown PRT.

[Mgyeldell]

Originally Posted by cqholt

A different approach, but PRT, personal rapid transit, is not for use as a commuter option anymore. The US tried to test this approach, but the costs were too high. LRT is a much better approach, since it does not exclusively use overhead guideways. The Detroit People Mover was such a fail, that PRT left a bad taste in everyones mouth. PRT is primarily use for use in airports and hospitals, except for the successful Morgantown PRT.

I totally understand what you are saying that a PRT system would not work, but the Atlanta Skytrain is not Personal Rapid Transit.

Personal Rapit Transit
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_rapid_transit

Atlanta Skytrain is a Automated People Mover
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automated_people_mover

ATL skytrain currently uses the Crystal Mover trains which already has a capacity of 100 people per train and the current stations of the system are already very long and can easily hold longer trains than what are currently ran. The system can run three 2 car trains where the capacity would be tripled holding up to 300 people.

There are a few systems that are currently very successful, some are ran differently but they are APM systems and they are successful.

[cqholt]

I totally understand what you are saying that a PRT system would not work, but the Atlanta Skytrain is not Personal Rapid Transit.

I am corrected, thank you for the links.

[cittic10]

LEts see.
I'd totally redo marta so that it stops at every day care, elementary and middle school as well as every soccer practice in the metro area. That should get 99% of the minivans off the road.
Then we can finally get somewhere.

[toll_booth]

Originally Posted by cittic10

LEts see.
I'd totally redo marta so that it stops at every day care, elementary and middle school as well as every soccer practice in the metro area. That should get 99% of the minivans off the road.
Then we can finally get somewhere.

Rhetorical question: In a hypothetical scenario where mass transit were spammed all over an urban area, would we really need a car that much?

[bryantm3]

here's my idea for a cobb county heavy rail line:

Cobb County MARTA Line (Heavy Rail) - Google Maps

[cqholt]

If the Cobb Line was to be HRT, there are existing tunnel portals north of Arts Center station, just before the line emerges from the tunnel. These portals could be used to extend the line over I-85 and to the northside of Atlantic Station.