Marta train ride from Airport to Five Points is very ugly. (Atlanta: sales, leasing)

[David1502]

To give the perspective of one who has taken mass transit from the airports of major cities to their respective downtowns, I would say that the MARTA line from HJIA to Downtown Atlanta is the worst. Boston's T takes you underground until you get well beyond their equivalent "Midtown area", so if there are any poor unattractive areas, they aren't visible. New York doesn't have a rail line to LaGuardia, so a cab or shuttle taking you through Queens on interstates (not that attractive but not like the Southside of Atlanta, either) is what one experiences there. In San Francisco, the BART is primarily underground once you get into the city limits of SF proper and the short distance near SFO is fine. Philadelphia has the advantage of having an express line form the Airport to the 30th St. AMTRAK Station, so if there are unsightly areas, the passengers are passing through so quickly and may not be aware of the trashy sights outside.

This leads me to my next point and that is that it might be worth considering having an occasional express train from Hartsfield Jackson to the Five Points Station, thus avoiding all of the stations in between like what Philadelphia has. New York has express lines throughout the city which really make traversing Manhattan a quick trip. Ideally, it would be great if MARTA had an express line like New York has on its Park Avenue line.

Bottom line, the views from the Southside MARTA line are some of the most unattractive for one of the most frequently used transit lines in the country and it would be beneficial to see it improved. Market forces have not been great enough to cause the property owners to sell their properties along that line for higher uses and with the state of the economy, it may be another 10 years before that happens in any significant way.

[tikigod311]

Oh man, all these people talking poorly about my neighborhood....

But yeah, the South line isn't a great welcome to Atlanta. I enjoy it now, looking at the graffiti, abandoned industrial buildings, and what could be. But its not great for visitors, certainly.

Do realize a large portion of this b/t Oakland City and West End will be redeveloped along the Beltline. One of the biggest abandoned parcels is some old state facilities complex that is slated to be totally redeveloped. Then there's Ft Mac. It will have to change from forces outside of MARTA. It will happen, but it will take time.

In the mean time, enjoy the view and take in the art.

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by cqholt

The tracks will never be buried. Too costly and interrupts travel to HJIA.

Burying the tracks does not necessarily have to be too costly if the project is completely financed with private investment backed PARTLY by revenues from user fees (inflation-indexed distance-based fares) and mostly and primarily from revenues from the new development that pops up along the path of the project.

Burying the tracks also does not have to significantly disrupt travel to and from Hartsfield if the existing tracks are kept in operation while the new tracks are being built underground, and if the existing tracks are kept in operation until the new underground tracks are fully completed and ready for use.

Originally Posted by MathmanMathman

If we ever have to decrease our dependance on the automobile, you can bet that air travel will go down too.

We don't necessarily absolutely have to decrease our dependence on the automobile, it's just that society has changed to the point where long rush-hour commutes in single-occupant vehicles and complete absolute total dependency on the automobile to travel everywhere are trends that are not necessarily as popular or as in vogue as they once were.

Just because growing numbers of people desire to move around metro regions and get to and from major airports in ways that are different than traveling in single-occupant vehicles (often through heavy traffic) does not mean that use of air travel for longer distance trips will decline.

Originally Posted by MathmanMathman

I doubt burying rail lines would be cost effective and it's really not needed to be done.

No highly-beneficial or greatly-needed infrastructure project is cost effective when we attempt to fund the projects with dwindling (and increasingly non-existent) existing transportation funds.

And with the area in question (the area of Southwest Atlanta between the Airport and Downtown) basically being in a state of economic depression for many years and needing any type of economic boost that it can get, replacing the current trackage by burying it underground and replacing it with greenspace and new development and redevelopment opportunities in and adjacent to the surface right-of-way can go a long way in helping to make the area economically-viable and prosperous over the long-run, particularly with the area's very-close proximity to the world's busiest airport, something which can and most-likely will be used as a major selling point moving forward.

[tikigod311]

Originally Posted by atler8

The problem with the decay that we see from the train isn't really residential in nature & generated by poor people but rather it's primarily a scene there of decaying & dead industrial, warehousing & commercial space that was built along the railroad tracks that predated MARTA's line by well over a century. There really isn't a whole lot of housing to be seen there for the most part.

This is absolutely correct!!!!! You are not seeing "poor folks" backyards, rather it is abandoned industrial.

Both the south & east lines did & still do have a problem though with the unsightly graffiti tagging.

I love the graffiti on the east line!!!! I would hate it if they took that along with some of the old buildings down with it. It certainly gives the area character.

There is some decent art along the South line, but not nearly as much as the east line.

[tikigod311]

Originally Posted by Born 2 Roll

And with the area in question (the area of Southwest Atlanta between the Airport and Downtown) basically being in a state of economic depression for many years and needing any type of economic boost that it can get, replacing the current trackage by burying it underground and replacing it with greenspace and new development and redevelopment opportunities in and adjacent to the surface right-of-way can go a long way in helping to make the area economically-viable and prosperous over the long-run, particularly with the area's very-close proximity to the world's busiest airport, something which can and most-likely will be used as a major selling point moving forward.

I live in the area, a few blocks off the tracks. I couldn't think of a greater waste of money than burying the tracks. It is 100% unnecessary. The tracks are in no way hindering development on the southside.

[fzx]

As a foreigner, I think the experience of riding Marta through the south part of Atlanta is quite interesting. Actually, I am thrilled to see graffiti. Am I the only person here who thinks Graffiti is art? It takes energy creativity and sometimes courage (to fight police or traffic?).

Plus, how many of us really drive through or walk by these neiborhoods? By riding the train, at least I see other side of the city and reminds me of inequality.

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by tikigod311

I live in the area, a few blocks off the tracks. I couldn't think of a greater waste of money than burying the tracks. It is 100% unnecessary. The tracks are in no way hindering development on the southside.

No one says that the tracks are hindering development, no one says that burying the tracks are absolutely necessary to the redevelopment of the area, and no one says that public money would or should be used to bury the tracks.

But burying the tracks USING ONLY PRIVATE MONEY AND NO EXISTING TRANSPORTATION FUNDS and creating new land on the surface for greenspace, new development and redevelopment of existing properties along the route would help to spark much new investment (in the form of new construction of high-density mixed-use development) both in and along the right-of-way where trains now operate on the surface in the same way that the Beltline is sparking much new investment and development along both the parts of its path that are already-completed and the parts of its path that are still yet-to-be completed.

As we are now witnessing with the progression of the Beltline, the robust combination of greenspace and passenger rail transit is a very-powerful attractant to new investment and development, particularly if the rail transit portion is buried underground and more surface land is available for both greenspace and real estate development (real estate development being how passenger rail transit infrastructure is supposed to be paid for) in an area that is only minutes away from the world's busiest airport.

[MattCW]

If they're going to spend the money to bury the tracks, I'd rather see it spent on adding a second pair of tracks for express service to/from the airport. Run local Lindbergh-Garnett if you must, but then switch onto another sets of tracks and have half the trains skip everything before the airport.

[AnsleyPark]

Originally Posted by Staysean23

So what do u have to say about other cities like SF Philly NY New Orleans etc do u think they need to do something about the massive amount of proverty grit and graffiti in those areas.

Yes. But they are not my home town.

[AnsleyPark]

Originally Posted by Born 2 Roll

No one says that the tracks are hindering development, no one says that burying the tracks are absolutely necessary to the redevelopment of the area, and no one says that public money would or should be used to bury the tracks.

But burying the tracks USING ONLY PRIVATE MONEY AND NO EXISTING TRANSPORTATION FUNDS and creating new land on the surface for greenspace, new development and redevelopment of existing properties along the route would help to spark much new investment (in the form of new construction of high-density mixed-use development) both in and along the right-of-way where trains now operate on the surface in the same way that the Beltline is sparking much new investment and development along both the parts of its path that are already-completed and the parts of its path that are still yet-to-be completed.

As we are now witnessing with the progression of the Beltline, the robust combination of greenspace and passenger rail transit is a very-powerful attractant to new investment and development, particularly if the rail transit portion is buried underground and more surface land is available for both greenspace and real estate development (real estate development being how passenger rail transit infrastructure is supposed to be paid for) in an area that is only minutes away from the world's busiest airport.

So, where is the private money??? Who but the government is going to write the check? I'm sorry, but we don't live in utopia.