Design Your Own MARTA Expansion (Atlanta, Columbus: pine, inexpensive, walkable)

[MikeHonchoATL]

What an incredible waste of time.

[tikigod311]

Nice work fourthwarden!

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by tikigod311

Nice work fourthwarden!

Yeah great work, we don't need planners and architects to design a Cobb County line, we just need you and your graphic design skills!

[StoicTao]

Cool! Just curious why you add the potential BRT lines but no other bus routes?

[ccdscott]

This is too dope fourthwarden! My eyes kept lighting up while scrolling down like a kid that keeps opening up presents LOL.

[fourthwarden]

Originally Posted by StoicTao

Cool! Just curious why you add the potential BRT lines but no other bus routes?

I was looking at the high-capacity transit routes only. So, the BRT will have their own lanes (or should, anyway) and higher-capacity buses. ART will use higher-capacity buses but no lanes, so I didn't consider it. City Streetcar design principles will try to have as much dedicated right of way as possible, so that's why they're there also.

Originally Posted by cqholt

Yeah great work, we don't need planners and architects to design a Cobb County line, we just need you and your graphic design skills!

Originally Posted by tikigod311

Nice work fourthwarden!

Originally Posted by ccdscott

This is too dope fourthwarden! My eyes kept lighting up while scrolling down like a kid that keeps opening up presents LOL.

Thanks y'all! I'll eventually remake the gif when I get back to my personal computer at school. The one I have here in ATL ain't super powerful, and chugs along pretty roughly.

[primaltech]

So here's my little MARTA dream map I just put together:
(hopefully this link works)

MARTA Rail Map

Basically the idea here is that you have one unified MARTA system, that serves all 5 core counties. And in that rail system you have 4 'heavy rail' lines, 4 'commuter rail' lines (Diesel Multiple Units), and 1 'light rail' line- but- the idea is that regardless of train technology, and aside from different capacities, they would all function basically the same, in terms of frequency, operation, service levels, speed, 'quickness', purpose, usage, etc. Including 'importance' in the system, and representation/appearance on the official map. And in my vision of the system, all 9 of these rail lines would be 15 min frequency (or better) at all hours, 24x7x365. With the more in-town stations that are served by multiple lines, having even better train frequency than that. (And never any of that single-tracking crap.)

I also put in a lot of infill stations (which would require re-zoning, road work, etc), and I extended the Blue and Green lines a little bit to the west. Also imagined some existing station renaming/re-branding.

Five Points is the 'Grand Central Terminal' main hub station, the focal point for all train lines, except the Emory light rail line. The Blue, Green, Acworth, and Powder Springs lines all have to transfer once there in order to go to the airport or to Midtown. But at least it's basically the station that's designed for transferring, as quickly and efficiently as possible. Five Points would be a 'MMPT' multi-level structure which would also have Atlanta's main Amtrak high-speed rail station, as well as any GRTA regional express rail lines that would go to cities such as Chattanooga/Gainesville/Athens/Macon/Columbus, with bare minimum stops, spaced very far apart. (Downtown Lawrenceville would get a stop on the GRTA Athens Line.)

Lindbergh, Avondale, and East Point stations function as secondary hub stations, where different directional lines converge.

The 'commuter rail' would be DMU's with bi-directional operation on 2 separate tracks, just like the heavy rail system. They would be painted to look as much as possible just like MARTA's heavy rail look. The stations would be generally a little simpler and cheaper built, but the signage and fonts and everything would all look the same as the heavy rail stations.

Cobb would get 2 commuter rail lines (that converge at Moores Mill), but no heavy rail. All of the Cumberland area, including SunTrust Park, would make use of that one station, which would be right where the existing Cumberland Transfer Center is now. There would be dedicated bus-only lanes for the circulator bus to use, and also for the shuttle bus for the Braves games. There would be good MARTA bus service throughout the county, including ART-class service on Cobb Pkwy, and possibly on Johnson Ferry, for East Cobb.

Gwinnett would get 1 heavy rail line along I-85, but no commuter rail. And there would be excellent bus service throughout the county, including park&ride express shuttles for places like Snellville, etc. The GA-141 corridor would get ART-quality bus service from Norcross Station up through the town centers of Peachtree Corners and Johns Creek.

There would be a bus-only lane system going all the way around I-285, that would link together MARTA's various stations on the perimeter, plus also serve a few BRT-type high quality bus stations, for the rail gap areas like Northlake/Tucker, Clarkston, west Sandy Springs area, Powers Ferry, Roswell Rd, east Dunwoody, and a few things on the south side. The buses on this line would be something like direct express shuttles, meets BRT.

Campbellton corridor would get very high quality ART bus service (with signal priority, etc), from Greenbriar to Oakland City.

I-20 East corridor would get a very high quality BRT line, between Five Points and Wesley Chapel. In a dedicated lane system, with minimal turns required for the bus.

The Atlanta Streetcar system would also be present as well, especially the Beltline loop being important, basically like a MARTA light rail line, serving all those neighborhoods and areas between the N/S/E/W lines.

The stations on all the lines would all emphasize TOD development/redevelopment and walkable urban density, but also most of them would have parking available as well, even some in-town stations. Uber would be a big piece of the transit puzzle though, and eventually auto-piloted AV cars, but there would still be a lot of driving and parking, as always. With that said though, Lindbergh's and Doraville's parking would be heavily reduced in this vision, and the lost parking decks would be converted to mid-rise apartments.

Midtown especially would vastly improve its grid system and put traffic lights everywhere, and continue to build high rises everywhere, for a Manhattan-like feel, supported by rapid, high capacity, frequent heavy rail.

Atlantic Station is still a rail gap, so maybe thy'd get a streetcar or something, in a dedicated lane on 17th, to Arts Center.

Peachtree Rd would get at least ART, as would Moreland, Clairmont, and the very long Roswell Rd corridor. Buford Highway would get dedicated bus lanes BRT, maybe even all the way out to Buford. Or at least to the Suwanee Town Center.

GRTA would serve the counties outside the 5 counties, with express commuter bus running in HOT lanes, connecting with MARTA rail stations at various points.

I think that would pretty much solve Atlanta transportation. If we did all that, it would support the city's projected growth.

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by primaltech

So here's my little MARTA dream map I just put together:
(hopefully this link works)

MARTA Rail Map

Basically the idea here is that you have one unified MARTA system, that serves all 5 core counties. And in that rail system you have 4 'heavy rail' lines, 4 'commuter rail' lines (Diesel Multiple Units), and 1 'light rail' line- but- the idea is that regardless of train technology, and aside from different capacities, they would all function basically the same, in terms of frequency, operation, service levels, speed, 'quickness', purpose, usage, etc. Including 'importance' in the system, and representation/appearance on the official map. And in my vision of the system, all 9 of these rail lines would be 15 min frequency (or better) at all hours, 24x7x365. With the more in-town stations that are served by multiple lines, having even better train frequency than that. (And never any of that single-tracking crap.)

I also put in a lot of infill stations (which would require re-zoning, road work, etc), and I extended the Blue and Green lines a little bit to the west. Also imagined some existing station renaming/re-branding.

Five Points is the 'Grand Central Terminal' main hub station, the focal point for all train lines, except the Emory light rail line. The Blue, Green, Acworth, and Powder Springs lines all have to transfer once there in order to go to the airport or to Midtown. But at least it's basically the station that's designed for transferring, as quickly and efficiently as possible. Five Points would be a 'MMPT' multi-level structure which would also have Atlanta's main Amtrak high-speed rail station, as well as any GRTA regional express rail lines that would go to cities such as Chattanooga/Gainesville/Athens/Macon/Columbus, with bare minimum stops, spaced very far apart. (Downtown Lawrenceville would get a stop on the GRTA Athens Line.)

Lindbergh, Avondale, and East Point stations function as secondary hub stations, where different directional lines converge.

The 'commuter rail' would be DMU's with bi-directional operation on 2 separate tracks, just like the heavy rail system. They would be painted to look as much as possible just like MARTA's heavy rail look. The stations would be generally a little simpler and cheaper built, but the signage and fonts and everything would all look the same as the heavy rail stations.

Cobb would get 2 commuter rail lines (that converge at Moores Mill), but no heavy rail. All of the Cumberland area, including SunTrust Park, would make use of that one station, which would be right where the existing Cumberland Transfer Center is now. There would be dedicated bus-only lanes for the circulator bus to use, and also for the shuttle bus for the Braves games. There would be good MARTA bus service throughout the county, including ART-class service on Cobb Pkwy, and possibly on Johnson Ferry, for East Cobb.

Gwinnett would get 1 heavy rail line along I-85, but no commuter rail. And there would be excellent bus service throughout the county, including park&ride express shuttles for places like Snellville, etc. The GA-141 corridor would get ART-quality bus service from Norcross Station up through the town centers of Peachtree Corners and Johns Creek.

There would be a bus-only lane system going all the way around I-285, that would link together MARTA's various stations on the perimeter, plus also serve a few BRT-type high quality bus stations, for the rail gap areas like Northlake/Tucker, Clarkston, west Sandy Springs area, Powers Ferry, Roswell Rd, east Dunwoody, and a few things on the south side. The buses on this line would be something like direct express shuttles, meets BRT.

Campbellton corridor would get very high quality ART bus service (with signal priority, etc), from Greenbriar to Oakland City.

I-20 East corridor would get a very high quality BRT line, between Five Points and Wesley Chapel. In a dedicated lane system, with minimal turns required for the bus.

The Atlanta Streetcar system would also be present as well, especially the Beltline loop being important, basically like a MARTA light rail line, serving all those neighborhoods and areas between the N/S/E/W lines.

The stations on all the lines would all emphasize TOD development/redevelopment and walkable urban density, but also most of them would have parking available as well, even some in-town stations. Uber would be a big piece of the transit puzzle though, and eventually auto-piloted AV cars, but there would still be a lot of driving and parking, as always. With that said though, Lindbergh's and Doraville's parking would be heavily reduced in this vision, and the lost parking decks would be converted to mid-rise apartments.

Midtown especially would vastly improve its grid system and put traffic lights everywhere, and continue to build high rises everywhere, for a Manhattan-like feel, supported by rapid, high capacity, frequent heavy rail.

Atlantic Station is still a rail gap, so maybe thy'd get a streetcar or something, in a dedicated lane on 17th, to Arts Center.

Peachtree Rd would get at least ART, as would Moreland, Clairmont, and the very long Roswell Rd corridor. Buford Highway would get dedicated bus lanes BRT, maybe even all the way out to Buford. Or at least to the Suwanee Town Center.

GRTA would serve the counties outside the 5 counties, with express commuter bus running in HOT lanes, connecting with MARTA rail stations at various points.

I think that would pretty much solve Atlanta transportation. If we did all that, it would support the city's projected growth.

Looks good, an excellent integrated transit system using different technology.

[primaltech]

Originally Posted by cqholt

Looks good, an excellent integrated transit system using different technology.

I was pleased with how it came out looking something like the WMATA map, which is my favorite rail map.

[arjay57]

Both fourthwarden's and primaltech's plans look great.

Just thought I would mention the B word as well.