ATLANTA TRANSIT (Marta, Beltline, Peachtree Streetcar, LovJoy Commuter, etc...)

[bryantm3]

Originally Posted by SteveD

No love for Grant Park/Ormewood Park/Glenwood Park/EAV...etc. Thriving and vibrant in-town neighborhoods...

The Beltline rail would cover the first three. EAV would still not have a connection, though.

[smArTaLlone]

New Train Set No. 4 undergoing testing.


https://x.com/MARTAtransit/status/1985709772209856731

[Julien]

Beep autonomous buses coming before World Cup and not just for the Beltline West. Each bus can seat 12 and hold up to 17. Also has wheelchair access.

https://atlanta.urbanize.city/post/beep-...m_term=0_f2c8779a36-713896b610-199680402

[N830MH]

Originally Posted by bryantm3

I found this on Threads. It's pretty much in line with what I was thinking... but I would make a few changes...

-Remove "Upper Westside", an absurd and silly name for that neighborhood

-Reroute the northwest line that goes to Northside Drive and Piedmont Hospital to follow the alternate rail line that goes behind Ikea and Atlantic Station, and add stations there instead

-Extend the Blue Line west and south to serve Adamsville, Fairburn-Mays, Cascade, Ben Hill, Greenbriar & Camp Creek, and have that line merge with the SW lines at Union City.

-Build a new line underneath Roswell Road to serve Buckhead Village, Downtown Sandy Springs, Downtown Roswell, Downtown Alpharetta, Avalon, and Windward Parkway— because eventually they will figure out the expansion of 400 isn't going to "fix traffic"

-Add a perimeter line, just on the north side, between Adamsville, Cumberland, Sandy Springs, Dunwoody, a new station *actually* in Dunwoody, Doraville, Northlake, Clarkston, and Indian Creek

-Change "Whitehall" station to a McDaniel Street station,

-Infill stations at Krog & Boone

-Roller-coaster from Oakdale Rd station to Six Flags

Wait it minutes!! Isn't both Gold and Red Line to served main ATL domestic terminal station, not East ATL airport station. I remember that I rode on MARTA from ATL airport station to Dunwoody's station. When it did change?

[Julien]

Originally Posted by N830MH

Wait it minutes!! Isn't both Gold and Red Line to served main ATL domestic terminal station, not East ATL airport station. I remember that I rode on MARTA from ATL airport station to Dunwoody's station. When it did change?

That is a >$500B, 50+ year wet dream map. Check back in 2080 or closer to ∞.

[Julien]

Juniper still not complete.

[RocketSurgeon]

The Juniper project began during Obama's first term, shortly after the first iPhone was released and the world was being introduced to smart phones

They've started work on Piedmont. I guess the construction phase will take a few years like it has for Juniper, but at least it's finally happening.

[Julien]

Just a little Glydway update. Should break ground on the pilot ½ mile track near ATL early next year and start public rides before the end of 2026. Also, they have updated their website and have pics of the Beltline. Guess they are hoping to win over light rail. Upfront coast would be about 90% less and long term operation would be a fraction of light rail. Meaning the entire Beltline could be covered for FAR less than a couple of miles on the east side. Looks like they would like to have Atlanta be a HUGE test market, hoping to sell them to other US and world cities.

Also last pic is kinda interesting. Looks like North Ave. and have pedestrian trails over the Glydway.

https://www.glydways.com/atlanta/

[ArchKid]

Originally Posted by Julien

Just a little Glydway update. Should break ground on the pilot ½ mile track near ATL early next year and start public rides before the end of 2026. Also, they have updated their website and have pics of the Beltline. Guess they are hoping to win over light rail. Upfront coast would be about 90% less and long term operation would be a fraction of light rail. Meaning the entire Beltline could be covered for FAR less than a couple of miles on the east side. Looks like they would like to have Atlanta be a HUGE test market, hoping to sell them to other US and world cities.

Also last pic is kinda interesting. Looks like North Ave. and have pedestrian trails over the Glydway.

https://www.glydways.com/atlanta/

The current situation has resulted in what can only be described as a visual and environmental setback. The BeltLine is now saturated with dense clusters of pod-like vehicles, which significantly disrupt the continuity of the landscape and diminish the greenery that defines the corridor. Compared with the originally proposed grass-track streetcar, this approach is markedly less practical and considerably more intrusive.
It is deeply concerning that Atlanta’s leadership and decision-making bodies approved such an ill-considered experiment. This choice reflects a troubling lack of foresight and professional judgement in the stewardship of one of the city’s most important public spaces.

One can predict with considerable confidence that, upon completion, the project will yield a result so ill-conceived that it borders on farce, inevitably casting the entire city into a state of public embarrassment.

[montydawg]

Anyone who has rode the Newark AirTran knows these little pods are a joke and safety issue if you have to share it with someone sketchy. Additionally the fixed guideway means if one pod breaks, the line gets disrupted. Instead of having to maintain a fleet of 6 or so trainsets, you now have to maintain 40-50 pods, so the chance of failure of drivetrain is higher. I also don’t think those freeway looking overpasses will ‘fly’ with the neighborhood.

[GeorgiaPeanuts]

Wasn't this pitched as being less intrusive to the trail? it looks so fucking ugly omg

[ArchKid]

Originally Posted by montydawg

Anyone who has rode the Newark AirTran knows these little pods are a joke and safety issue if you have to share it with someone sketchy. Additionally the fixed guideway means if one pod breaks, the line gets disrupted. Instead of having to maintain a fleet of 6 or so trainsets, you now have to maintain 40-50 pods, so the chance of failure of drivetrain is higher. I also don’t think those freeway looking overpasses will ‘fly’ with the neighborhood.

To those who oppose installing a grass-track streetcar along the BeltLine, including the group ‘Better Atlanta Transit’，your responsibility is not to promote this pod-based autonomous vehicle concept—which borders on a public joke—but to persuade the Mayor of Atlanta, City Council members, the federal government, and, importantly, the local taxpayers to support the construction of an entirely new underground metro line beneath the BeltLine corridor.

If you insist that an at-grade light rail system is unacceptable, then a subway is the only credible alternative. The notion of erecting dedicated elevated structures or carving a concrete two-way roadway across landscaped green space—ideas showcased in some of the renderings—will age terribly and, in time, be recognized as some of the most tone-deaf proposals ever floated in Atlanta’s urban history.

Consider this less a suggestion and more a necessary warning.

[MdtwnATL]

Originally Posted by ArchKid

This choice reflects a troubling lack of foresight and professional judgement in the stewardship of one of the city’s most important public spaces.

This one sentence is Atlanta urbanism in a nutshell. Atlanta doesn't know how to be, nor is it interested in becoming, a "real" city. To quote the great Paula Abdul - we take two steps forward, then take two steps back...

[shivtim]

Atlanta BRT mentioned in Transport Politic's summary for 2026

Atlanta
MARTA Rapid A-Line
A 5 km (3.1 mile) bus rapid transit line from downtown to Carver/Atlanta Beltline, mostly along Hank Aaron Drive and adjacent to the Atlanta 1996 Olympics main stadium (also home to the Atlanta Braves for several decades). The line will include 85% dedicated lanes, 14 new stations, and buses every 10 to 12 minutes. The project cost $123 million, up from $59 million originally. About 2,400 daily riders are expected. Portions of the line could open during the summer for the World Cup. This project was originally expected to open in 2025. Map the project on Transit Explorer.

[shivtim]

Originally Posted by ArchKid

The current situation has resulted in what can only be described as a visual and environmental setback. The BeltLine is now saturated with dense clusters of pod-like vehicles, which significantly disrupt the continuity of the landscape and diminish the greenery that defines the corridor. Compared with the originally proposed grass-track streetcar, this approach is markedly less practical and considerably more intrusive.
It is deeply concerning that Atlanta’s leadership and decision-making bodies approved such an ill-considered experiment. This choice reflects a troubling lack of foresight and professional judgement in the stewardship of one of the city’s most important public spaces.

One can predict with considerable confidence that, upon completion, the project will yield a result so ill-conceived that it borders on farce, inevitably casting the entire city into a state of public embarrassment.

I fed that text into two different AI checkers. Both gave 100% AI, 0% human, and 0% mix. Mods, can we ban fully AI posts?

[ArchKid]

Originally Posted by shivtim

I fed that text into two different AI checkers. Both gave 100% AI, 0% human, and 0% mix. Mods, can we ban AI bot posters?

This accusation is completely unfounded. You have no basis whatsoever for claiming that I am an AI bot. Making arbitrary judgments and labeling others without evidence is irresponsible and unacceptable.

Simply because you are familiar with certain AI tools does not give you the right to falsely portray a real human being as an AI. This constitutes defamation.

If my memory serves me correctly, you previously made similar attacks against a user named “Chris Bender.” At that time, Chris Bender publicly warned you that continued defamation would result in legal action through his attorney. Have you already forgotten that incident? I clearly recall the public dispute that followed.

[ArchKid]

I would like to state this clearly to all forum members and moderators: I am a real, living person, not an AI bot.

Since I began participating online, this is the first time I have ever been falsely accused of being an AI. Such an allegation is absurd and deeply concerning.

If users can be arbitrarily labeled as “AI bots” without any evidence, it discourages normal participation and open discussion. People should be able to post and express their views without being subjected to baseless accusations or identity misrepresentation.

[MdtwnATL]

Originally Posted by montydawg

Anyone who has rode the Newark AirTran knows these little pods are a joke and safety issue if you have to share it with someone sketchy. Additionally the fixed guideway means if one pod breaks, the line gets disrupted. Instead of having to maintain a fleet of 6 or so trainsets, you now have to maintain 40-50 pods, so the chance of failure of drivetrain is higher. I also don’t think those freeway looking overpasses will ‘fly’ with the neighborhood.

100% - I would never get into one of these with strangers, and you're spot on about high potential of disruptions. This should be DOA.

[MdtwnATL]

Originally Posted by ArchKid

I would like to state this clearly to all forum members and moderators: I am a real, living person, not an AI bot.

Since I began participating online, this is the first time I have ever been falsely accused of being an AI. Such an allegation is absurd and deeply concerning.

If users can be arbitrarily labeled as “AI bots” without any evidence, it discourages normal participation and open discussion. People should be able to post and express their views without being subjected to baseless accusations or identity misrepresentation.

I can't tell if you're just trolling or not, but people saying you're letting a program word your posts is not the same as them saying you are an "AI Bot." Using something like ChatGPT to help you create your posts majorly detracts from them. Just type your thoughts exactly as they come.

[shivtim]

Originally Posted by MdtwnATL

100% - I would never get into one of these with strangers, and you're spot on about high potential of disruptions. This should be DOA.

Agree, and that's part of the reason why MARTA's new trainsets are open gangway. Can't wait for those to come online later this year.