MARTA Westside Line (Atlanta, Marietta, Lenox: 2015, transfer to, utilities)

[jsvh]

Interesting user-submitted suggestion for a MARTA line to run along the westside / west midtown area that I have not heard suggested before:

Reader Devises Plan to Make MARTA Ridership Skyrocket - Bureau Of Big Ideas - Curbed Atlanta

...My plan involves using a Norfolk Southern rail right-of-way to build an extension of MARTA along the west side of the Georgia Tech campus. My proposed rail would run from the Five Points station past Centennial Olympic Park, up to North Avenue, and then along Northside Drive, tying back into the Northfolk Southern to get its final destination at the Armour Rail Yard. At Armour Yard it could potentially connect to the rail that has been proposed for the Clifton Corridor that would run east to Emory.

You can see on the map that I've laid out (above) the route I've suggested. I've also drawn the most logical locations for building stations. On the Northside Drive route you could have stations at Centennial Olympic Park at Ivan Allen Jr. Blvd., North Avenue, 10th Street, 17th Street beside the Atlantic Station Ikea, Peachtree Road at the Amtrak station and then up to Armour.

I think that the cost of this would be substantially less than some of the other rail line proposals because the total length is less than five miles, and because I'm suggesting the use of existing right-of-ways. Also, I think a line like this would be better received by the young people at Georgia Tech and those living out on the Westside near Marietta Street than another rail to the suburbs. I think a plan like this could completely revamp MARTA's reputation.

Thanks,
Forrest A. Watson III

[fourthwarden]

At Armour Yard it could potentially connect to the rail that has been proposed for the Clifton Corridor that would run east to Emory.

They picked an odd location for the Armor yard station... Having the red and Gold lines pinch in like that to meet the Clifton Corridor seems like it would mess with the flow of trains. Why not have it a little south along the Red Line, where the Beltline runs up against it?

[skbl17]

It doesn't seem like a bad idea at first glance. Of course, the devil is in the details, and MARTA would need to prod Norfolk Southern for right-of-way access on the segment between Northside Drive and Armour.

- skbl17

[Ha-Mez]

I had a similar westside line in my DYOME Map. Mine has a stop at Atlantic Station.

[MattCW]

Not a bad idea but I agree the armour station is weird. Though since Clifton will run to Lindbergh anyways it's kinda moot. What would be great is for the line to run Avondale to Lenox. Both have pocket tracks for turning and would give a better alternative for Blue line riders to transfer to the Red and Gold lines.

[Ha-Mez]

Also, MARTA owns a bus facility on Brady Avenue. I imagine that spot is a better candidate for station location than 10th and Northside, but there are pros and cons to both.

[fourthwarden]

Originally Posted by skbl17

It doesn't seem like a bad idea at first glance. Of course, the devil is in the details, and MARTA would need to prod Norfolk Southern for right-of-way access on the segment between Northside Drive and Armour.

- skbl17

The real issue would be the right of way. That length of track is so densely packed in that it would be almost impossible to put anything in along-side. Constructing over top would be equally hard. Where would supports go? Going over the RoW would require MARTA tracks to climb up from und Phillips Arena and over street-level bridges. Unlike the east-side lines, there aren't tunnels under rail yards or convenient hills to makes getting over streets easier.

[bu2]

Originally Posted by skbl17

It doesn't seem like a bad idea at first glance. Of course, the devil is in the details, and MARTA would need to prod Norfolk Southern for right-of-way access on the segment between Northside Drive and Armour.

- skbl17

Probably difficult dealing with NS. I believe they have a lot of traffic in that area. That's why that section of the beltline hasn't had much done.

But the concept brings up the idea of an east west line from Lindberg to I-75. It would require mostly subway, but they are proposing several miles of tunnels for the Clifton Corridor line, so it can't be automatically ruled out as too expensive. Middle Peachtree is not served by MARTA rail. The line could either run like this near Collier Road and Piedmont Hospital or could go along West Wesley or futher north along West Paces. The latter would connect to the Streets of Buckhead development. The alternatives would be 3-4 miles long.

Now utilities in the area could make tunneling a lot more expensive than Clifton. But there is a pretty dense, congested area poorly served by MARTA.

Of course, there's not any funding for several other MARTA expansions that have been proposed for decades.

[bu2]

Originally Posted by Ha-Mez

Also, MARTA owns a bus facility on Brady Avenue. I imagine that spot is a better candidate for station location than 10th and Northside, but there are pros and cons to both.

That's a terrible spot. Its not really near anything and access is blocked from the west by RR tracks. Its only advantage is they already own the land. Northside is near GT and residential development.

[Ha-Mez]

Originally Posted by bu2

That's a terrible spot. Its not really near anything and access is blocked from the west by RR tracks. Its only advantage is they already own the land. Northside is near GT and residential development.

I live in the area. The big residential development is happening on Howell Mill, not Northside, and the Brady Avenue Bus Facility is at the intersection of Brady and Howell Mill. There's also a relatively steep incline on Tenth between Northside and Howell Mill. Also, a station at Northside would be just as inaccessible to those living west of the tracks as a station at Brady.