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MARTA also operates a separate paratransit service for disabled customers. As of 2008[update], the system had an average of 200,000 passengers per day.[1]Overall for the year, bus and paratransit ridership was 69,194,285, while rail ridership was 69,209,027 also the 7th most used system
Atlanta carries more passengers for as ridership and they have more of a rush hour on the trains than Dallas and Marta is also more of a subway system Than Dart. Dallas is going to have better coverage over all and the largest light rail systems. which is something Atlanta needs. Here are a few pics of marta
I think currently Atlanta's system is faster and capable of carrying more commuters despite having fewer stations and miles of track. It's has one of the most heavily used rail systems in the country.
However, Sadly it doesn't seem to have a bright future. And it's not because people don't like using it or don't want it to expand. It's because unlike other States the State of Georgia refuses to give it any funding. On the contrary with the poor state of Atlanta's budget due to the economy (and mismanagement) the budget continues to be cut back even though ridership is high.
This means MARTA may actually shrink in the next few years
This makes absolutely no sense. The only glimmer of hope is the Beltway project is now underway and it will eventually bring light rail to add to Atlanta's present heavy rail.
that's the funny thing I lived in the DFW for 7 years there no comparison, Atlanta is in the pidmont region, Piedmont= Foot Hills, DFW is in the Texas blackland prairie region.
that's the funny thing I lived in the DFW for 7 years there no comparison, Atlanta is in the pidmont region, Piedmont= Foot Hills, DFW is in the Texas blackland prairie region.
[quote=chiatldal;12170345]that's the funny thing I lived in the DFW for 7 years there no comparison, Atlanta is in the pidmont region, Piedmont= Foot Hills, DFW is in the Texas blackland prairie region.
these are also in the DFW metro area. While the DFW has pockets of trees it's mostly glassland and while North Texas has a few hills it's by far flat.
LMFAO so what you just said is North Texas is flat but generally the thread is about DFW mainly consisting of Tarrant and Dallas County and you know dang well DFW is not flat. I understand you generally dislike the area from all your post and you are a huge ATL fan but lets not tell lies in the process. Lets keep it real please!!! I enjoyed the discussion on this thread both DFW and ATL are great metro area well respected, and will continue to shine for years to come.
Last edited by Exult.Q36; 12-25-2009 at 08:57 PM..
Location: The Greatest city on Earth: City of Atlanta Proper
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I can say without a doubt, public transportation is something Atlanta does much better than Dallas.
The DART Light Rail is good and all, but even when it gets completely built out, it won't even come close to the daily ridership numbers of MARTA's Subway. That's just the nature of the technologies. Even with buses added, MARTA is still the king.
Just to highlight the difference, more people ride MARTA's subway alone each day (259,000), than there are people taking all forms of DART transportation.
On the flip side, I will say that Dallas at least is trying something. There are many cities around the country that never took the initiative to be bold and build a big public transportation system.
Also, both Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. have public transportation systems that are much larger than Atlanta's or Dallas', but they both have the first and second worst congestion in the country respectively. +
This point is especially surprising to the density and massive subway booster crowds in D.C.'s case. They have over a million people taking their subway each day, and another half a million taking their buses. Their subway extends further out in the suburbs than MARTA, and is generally well liked (much different than how MARTA is viewed in the suburbs here which is why it is only in one suburban county). Even with all that, their commute times and congestion are WORSE than Atlanta's. Goes to show that you can not build your way out of people's living habits.
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it doesn't seem to have a bright future. And it's not because people don't like using it or don't want it to expand. It's because unlike other States the State of Georgia refuses to give it any funding. On the contrary with the poor state of Atlanta's budget due to the economy (and mismanagement) the budget continues to be cut back even though ridership is high. 
