MARTA News (town, information, alternate)

[SEAandATL]

Originally Posted by cranberrysaus

The DART system was built along existing rail corridors which saved on right of way costs, but also meant that they don't actually serve the parts of the city that they go through particularly well.


The entire system also converges on what's essentially a streetcar line through downtown Dallas, which acts as a major chokepoint and limits the frequency of every line.


Finally, Dallas already has an extensive and growing freeway network that makes driving just too convenient.


All of these combined makes DART, although extensive, a rather poorly laid out system - and the ridership shows it.

Unfortunately Atlanta doesn't have that neither.

[cranberrysaus]

Originally Posted by SEAandATL

Unfortunately Atlanta doesn't have that neither.

MARTA has half the mileage of DART but roughly double the ridership. Several MARTA lines do fall into the same trap of following existing railroad ROW, but what they did get right was tunneling through Downtown and Midtown, and using the 400 ROW to get to Dunwoody/Sandy Springs.


Yes MARTA doesn't have the extensive highway network Dallas does, but that also works to the benefit of making MARTA useful for some trips around town. And if you look at the once laid out plans to carve highways through East Atlanta, it saved us from destroying some of the most treasured neighborhoods Atlanta has today.

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by bu2

Saw this article when looking at the Centennial Yards thread link.
https://atlanta.urbanize.city/post/f...announces-city
"...Five potential infill station locations pinpointed by the More MARTA transit expansion program that didn’t receive funding, as the newspaper points out, were at Murphy Crossing; near Armour Yards in Buckhead; near the Krog Street Tunnel; between Ashby and Bankhead stations; another between Inman Park/Old Fourth Ward and the King Memorial station; and in Mechanicsville near McDaniel Street..."

Originally Posted by aries4118

1. Murphy Crossing
2. Armour
3. Krog Street/Cabbagetown


4. Possibilities

a. Miami Circle
b. Boone
c. Mechanicsville
d. Ashford Park
e. Kirkwood
f. Peachtree Pointe
g. Avondale Estates

The more I think about it, I think the four new stations will be the four areas where MARTA rail meets the Beltline:

1. Murphy Crossing





2. Armour

3. Krog Street

4. Boone

[SEAandATL]

Originally Posted by aries4118

The more I think about it, I think the four new stations will be the four areas where MARTA rail meets the Beltline:

1. Murphy Crossing





2. Armour

3. Krog Street

4. Boone

Mayor Dickens just annouced it and those four are where they are going.

https://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta-new...J26J56G3YJJ7I/

[ShenardL]

Originally Posted by SEAandATL

Mayor Dickens just annouced it and those four are where they are going.

https://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta-new...J26J56G3YJJ7I/

When Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens announced in March he intended to build four new infill MARTA stations, the news came without naming where a majority of them would be placed around the city.

Residents only knew of one determined location at the Murphy Crossing development along the Beltline’s Westside Trail, marking the first time that the popular mixed-use trail loop would be connected to heavy rail.

On Thursday, the mayor announced the remaining three locations: Krog Street/Hulsey Yard, Joseph E. Boone and Armour Yards. The announcement came through an administrative order outlining the ambitious partnership between the city, Atlanta Beltline Inc. and MARTA.

“Our city’s transportation landscape is dynamic, mirroring the diverse growth and evolution of Atlanta’s neighborhoods. Both legacy and emerging communities have immediate transportation needs that deserve effective solutions,” Dickens said in a statement.

“It is imperative that our transportation investments are strategically and equitably deployed to increase ridership on MARTA’s heavy rail network and bus system fostering a more connected and unified Atlanta,” he said.

[JC251]

More money for studies and nothing will ever be built, but hey, it sounds good.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by JC251

More money for studies and nothing will ever be built, but hey, it sounds good.

I beg to differ. If they get cracking there is no reason some of these stations can't be up and running by 2075ish.

[JC251]

Originally Posted by arjay57

I beg to differ. If they get cracking there is no reason some of these stations can't be up and running by 2075ish.

That would be a miracle honestly.

Truth be told though, they are finally figuring it out. People are always so obsessed with Cobb, Gwinnett, etc. The expansion needs to be ten fold internal. Expand where the people live, where they want it, make it useful for almost everyone that lives from Sandy Springs to downtown, and bankhead to Emory. More internal stations, Clifton corridor, and the beltline.

I live in Cobb, I would happily pay the one cent sales tax even if it never expanded here.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by JC251

That would be a miracle honestly.

It's doable. Granted, we may not see all four stations open in a mere half century but it's not unrealistic to think there might be one more.

Personally, I'd like to see them at least get a preliminary pre-study advisory committee underway by the end of this decade and then roll out a meta beta website within 5-10 years after that. That would provide some deliverables for future scoping studies.

[Datdudebrah]

Takes time to build things. I'm glad the city is supportive of this now.