Why there is no Marta in Cobb or Gwinnett (Atlanta: luxury, tax)

[bu2]

Originally Posted by SEAandATL

I would have preferred it to run from Arts Center or Midtown as opposed to extending the Green Line.

Well the Green line is pretty much useless as is. It would make more sense to extend it, although I think the plan was always to go from Arts Center.

[cranberrysaus]

Originally Posted by bu2

Well the Green line is pretty much useless as is. It would make more sense to extend it, although I think the plan was always to go from Arts Center.

The Arts Center spur was only ever meant to be a short one or two stop branch up to around 26th street and then across to Northside Drive.

Originally Posted by SEAandATL

Floridians talk like Georgia is like a third-world country, while everything is perfect in Florida with the smooth roads without potholes and the Brightline train gave them bragging rights. Meanwhile guests from there that stay in our vacation home up in the mountains have a tendency to complain about everything not being "perfect". Not all Floridians of course but quite a bit of them.

I reeeaaaallly don't know if Florida is in a position to look down on anybody these days.

[Gulch]

Originally Posted by cranberrysaus

The Arts Center spur was only ever meant to be a short one or two stop branch up to around 26th street and then across to Northside Drive.

In the Referendum Plan, yes, however it was also designed to eventually be extended further north to Cobb County if they approved MARTA.

At a minimum, MARTA should've built it (moving the Northside Drive station to Howell Mill) and had it parallel I-75 to Mt. Paran. Even better, they and GDOT should've coordinated to reserve space in the median of the Interstate when I-75 was reconstructed in the mid-80s as part of "Freeing the Freeways." Major missed opportunity.

[UrbanQuest]

Another north-south heavy rail line is needed to connect West Midtown-Atlanti Station-Cumberland.

Heavy rail lines to the following from DT Atlanta.
-Canton
-Gainesville
-Athens
-McDonough
-Newnan

Huge positive impact this would have.

[JoeJunior]

Originally Posted by ampalive

The real reason is the average person there and the average person on the city council there never lived in a real city with real public transportation (DC, NYC, Chicago) and used it daily there so they do not know any better.

Originally Posted by SEAandATL

It is Marjorie Taylor Greene's state and a reflection of people who vote for the likes of her. Unfortunately no matter where I move to I'll always be a Georgia boy and I've experienced being laughed at just for being from here, especially in California and Florida. It's like the saying goes, you can take me out of Georgia but unfortunately you can't take the Georgia out of me.

Of all the really large U.S. cities in population, the Atlanta area has perhaps as low cost of living as you'll find. The cost of housing is so much less than other big cities like DC, NYC and Chicago. We're talking half the price or less. Low COL makes Atlanta's standard of living is just so much higher than the rest of the country. So much of the Atlanta housing market is relatively new, and swim/tennis communities are all over the place in the 4,000 square foot range.

Atlanta is a city of 506K residents, but the metropolitan region is 6.1 million people. The City of Atlanta mayor's job is nowhere the job of a county mayor in Cobb County, Fulton County, Gwinnett County or other places with far more residents.

Don't worry about Georgia being MTG's state as she basically represents Rome and the area around that one city. You need to be looking your big cities and an electorate that reelect politicians like Nadler, AOC, Cuomo, Gillibrand, Schumer, DeBlasio, Weiner, Jeffries, Adams and not least Hochul. They're all simply embarrassing.

[Gulch]

Originally Posted by JoeJunior

Atlanta is a city of 506K residents, but the metropolitan region is 6.1 million people. The City of Atlanta mayor's job is nowhere the job of a county mayor in Cobb County, Fulton County, Gwinnett County or other places with far more residents.

Cobb and Gwinnett's commissioners (not called county mayors) do not have near the power of a city mayor, and they don't usually get involved in the governance of the incorporated areas within their counties (once those are factored in, the populations of the unincorporated areas end up being similar to the CoA).

[waronxmas]

Originally Posted by UrbanQuest

Another north-south heavy rail line is needed to connect West Midtown-Atlanti Station-Cumberland.

Heavy rail lines to the following from DT Atlanta.
-Canton
-Gainesville
-Athens
-McDonough
-Newnan

Huge positive impact this would have.

The ROW and rails already exist, but it's not MARTA's problem but rather Norfolk-Southern doing everything in their power as far as they can to limit passenger traffic on their rails. They would probably not allow it at all if it weren't for AMTRAK.

Overall, this is the same problem everywhere when it comes to regional rail services and not just an Atlanta/MARTA problem. Unless your city already had tons of commuter rail services prior to the 1960s that remained like NYC, Chicago, Boston, or Philadelphia you can forget about it. Yeah, yeah, other cities have built commuter lines but usually it's just one and a bus could do the same job.

If we ever wish to change this situation the Feds would have to force the freight rail companies to do something. That's not likely to happen, especially when so many of our politicians would rather be concerned with someone in dressing in drag.

Edit: Technically one of those places you can go to by train today and it only costs $36 for a round trip ticket. AMTRAKs Crescent train stops in Gainesville twice a day.

[cparker73]

Originally Posted by waronxmas

The ROW and rails already exist, but it's not MARTA's problem but rather Norfolk-Southern doing everything in their power as far as they can to limit passenger traffic on their rails. They would probably not allow it at all if it weren't for AMTRAK.

Overall, this is the same problem everywhere when it comes to regional rail services and not just an Atlanta/MARTA problem. Unless your city already had tons of commuter rail services prior to the 1960s that remained like NYC, Chicago, Boston, or Philadelphia you can forget about it. Yeah, yeah, other cities have built commuter lines but usually it's just one and a bus could do the same job.

If we ever wish to change this situation the Feds would have to force the freight rail companies to do something. That's not likely to happen, especially when so many of our politicians would rather be concerned with someone in dressing in drag.

Edit: Technically one of those places you can go to by train today and it only costs $36 for a round trip ticket. AMTRAKs Crescent train stops in Gainesville twice a day.

Speaking of Norfolk Southern, I love the new building, but does anyone else feel insulted that they located their new headquarters directly adjacent to the North Ave. MARTA station? I'd be curious to know how many of their employees take the train or if they provide discount Breeze cards to their employees.

I'll admit to being a bit bitter the NS parking deck isn't accessible to the general public considering it used to be a public lot that was my go-to spot when I needed to drive to see a show at the Fox. The deck of the Courtyard hotel right next to the theater is super convenient but pricey.

[waronxmas]

Originally Posted by cparker73

Speaking of Norfolk Southern, I love the new building, but does anyone else feel insulted that they located their new headquarters directly adjacent to the North Ave. MARTA station? I'd be curious to know how many of their employees take the train or if they provide discount Breeze cards to their employees.

A few people in my building work at NS and they all take MARTA to work, even before the new building opened.

[Prickly Pear]

Originally Posted by cparker73

Speaking of Norfolk Southern, I love the new building, but does anyone else feel insulted that they located their new headquarters directly adjacent to the North Ave. MARTA station? I'd be curious to know how many of their employees take the train or if they provide discount Breeze cards to their employees.

I'll admit to being a bit bitter the NS parking deck isn't accessible to the general public considering it used to be a public lot that was my go-to spot when I needed to drive to see a show at the Fox. The deck of the Courtyard hotel right next to the theater is super convenient but pricey.

Hasn’t NS directly interfered with passenger rail to ClayCo? If so F them that’s insulting they use MARTA like that