MARTA is ramping up renovation work at one of its busiest transit hubs with designs that will mimic terminal canopies at the world’s largest airport next door—but not before a growing-pains phase of closures and rerouted riders.

MARTA officials have provided Urbanize Atlanta with renderings that vividly depict what’s in store for the agency’s Airport station. The southernmost stop on MARTA's Red and Gold lines will lend a first impression for legions of World Cup fans arriving in the city for eight matches scheduled in summer 2026.

According to MARTA, the $55 million canopy installation and other renovations will boost “the safety and appearance of the rail station to best serve travelers and employees” coming to and leaving the airport. 

But first comes a six-week closure of the Airport station that’s expected to last between Monday, April 8 and Sunday, May 19, as platform and concourse levels are renovated. The station closure is necessary, according to MARTA, to protect customers and workers, and it will allow renovations to be finished at the station 17 months quicker.

Designs for the MARTA canopy structure that will echo larger airport canopies. Courtesy of MARTA

Revised look of MARTA Airport station interiors in the works now. Courtesy of MARTA

To get around the construction, MARTA is launching a shuttle bus service between College Park Station and the airport’s North Terminal Lower Level.

The shuttle will arrive at the airport downstairs from North Baggage Claim, and it will operate 22 hours a day, or from 4 a.m. to 2 a.m., according to MARTA.

MARTA advises all travelers heading to the airport to allow 30 extra minutes for travel, beginning April 8.

Rehabilitation work began at Airport station in June 2022. The next phase will entail replacing floor tiles on platform and canopy levels and preparing the station for its new canopy structure.

The current state of MARTA Airport station platforms for airport arrivals and departures into the city. Courtesy of MARTA

Courtesy of MARTA

Additional upgrades in the offing include a new RideStore, a rehab of the station’s elevator, ceiling and lighting replacements, a public art installation, renovated employee spaces, and replacement of all signage.

To finish the project, MARTA says the station will also be closed nightly for 10 months sometime in 2025.

Another six-week closure is also possible after that, when the new canopy structure will be installed at the end of the construction process, per MARTA.  

MARTA officials say signs and announcements will be posted throughout the system, and at the airport, to raise awareness of the temporary station closure and shuttle service. The agency has also issued these specific instructions for riders, starting April 8:

  • “If you’re flying out or heading to work at the airport, travel to College Park Station as you normally would and follow the signs for the shuttle to the airport. The shuttle will drop you at the North Terminal Lower Level—Doors LN1 and LN2—located near the employee entrance. 
  • If you’re flying in or heading home from your job at the airport, follow the signs to Ground Transportation and North Baggage Claim, and take the stairs, escalator, or elevator down to the North Terminal Lower Level—Doors LN1 and LN2—to catch the shuttle to College Park Station. 

  • Courtesy of MARTA

    Delta customers should follow the signs from South Baggage Claim to North Baggage Claim and the North Terminal Lower Level—Doors LN1 and LN2—to catch the shuttle to College Park Station. 
  • International arrivals: Follow signs to Ground Transportation and take the airport shuttle to the Domestic Terminal. From there, follow the signs to the North Terminal Lower Level—Doors LN1 and LN2—to catch the shuttle to MARTA’s College Park Station.” 

Courtesy of MARTA

In other airport construction news, Hartsfield-Jackson officials have embarked on a widening of tight and outdated Concourse D that’s described as being among the most ambitious expansions in airport history. It’ll allow for the addition of 1,000 concourse seats and more exterior space for larger-capacity jets, but it’s not expected to be finished for more than five years.  

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• Images: Atlanta airport embarks on one of ‘most ambitious projects to date’ (Urbanize Atlanta)