MARTA in the black, possibly increasing train frequency.

[gtcorndog]

Originally Posted by gerrythesnake

Damn! He has done a lot and he hasn't even been at Marta for a full year

Which seems to be proof that MARTA was run horribly previously.

The fast changes are easy to make. Any new leadership team can come in and trim some fat. Lets see how he does moving forward. It has been a good first year, but until I see ongoing improvement, I'll remain skeptical.

[cqholt]

Not sure if this was posted - NorthFulton.com | MARTA GM driving force in system’s turnaround

WOW!
I have noticed MARTA PD at every station and riding trains. I haven't been hit up for money in months and stations are cleaner. I think the increased frequency and apps will have a huge impact in attracting more riders.

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by tikigod311

Well, be that as it may, I am certain that the folks that don't ride generally aren't following them on Facebook. One of the many goals for MARTA should be and seems to be attracting more riders. News like this is one of the best way to attract new riders.

News like this is not only a good way to attract new riders, but it can also be a good way to attract back some old riders who may have abandoned the system because of the increasingly crappy service over the past several years.

Originally Posted by tikigod311

Not sure if this was posted - NorthFulton.com | MARTA GM driving force in system’s turnaround

I can't tell if this is a Keith Parker love piece or not. If all the info is true, this guy is a Godsend to Atlanta. The article really drives home to point that MARTA was run TERRIBLY for the longest time. Maybe some of the recurring complaints from the MARTA haters were right all along. It really seems like MARTA was run in a **** poor manor to the detriment of Atlanta. Heres hoping that the organization continues on a path of reform and incredible improvements.

Thanks for the great link.

Here is one of the key passages from the link to the article that you provided:

The much anticipated march of MARTA up Ga.400 suffers from a lack of funding.
But that just means Parker is searching for private partners to pool resources
to get MARTA to the suburbs.

That means that Parker is very-seriously considering using private investment as a means of getting desperately-needed service upgrades and expansions like the extension of the Red Line heavy rail line up GA 400 into North Fulton County.

Here is another key passage from the link to the article that you provided:

MARTA is aggressively looking for new funding in advertising opportunities,
leasing nearby MARTA property as well as the food courts.

This means that Parker wants to aggressively lease-out more MARTA-owned real estate around its train stations as a means of generating more (desperately-needed) operating revenues for the system.

All-in-all, it is excellent news that Parker seems to have MARTA headed in a positive direction after many years of increasingly steep decline.

Parker's turn-around of MARTA is also good news because mass transit systems like MARTA mean SO MUCH to the major metropolitan areas that they serve.

Imagine Chicago trying to function without CTA heavy rail and bus service and Metra commuter rail service, or imagine DC trying to function without Metrorail heavy rail and bus service and MARC and VRE commuter trains, or worse yet, imagine NYC trying to function without its heavy rail, bus and commuter rail service and you get the idea of how an extremely road infrastructure-limited Atlanta has been attempting to function with a less-than-fully-functional (and steeply-declining) MARTA over the last several years.

Having a severely-declining mass transit network has been a substantial handicap to Atlanta's economy, if only from the standpoint of the national and world business community's strong perceptions that Atlanta is a place that severely-underinvests in its transportation infrastructure.