Frequent streetcar riders and forthcoming Atlanta visitors should take note: The downtown trolley is going off the grid for a while. 

For the second time in two years, the Atlanta Streetcar will be pulled from service for several months, beginning Sept. 8, MARTA officials announced this week. Shuttle van service will be offered along the streetcar’s 2.7-mile loop around downtown and Sweet Auburn while the trolleys are offline. 

MARTA plans to suspend streetcar operations to allow Georgia Power to perform underground electrical line repairs considered urgent, and to complete scheduled infrastructure upgrades along the streetcar loop. 

According to MARTA, the streetcar shutdown will last roughly three to four months, but a MARTA shuttle wrapped to appear similar to streetcars will carry passengers along the route in the meantime. 

Streetcar fares are $1 per one-way trip, or $3 for a day pass. 

The Atlanta Streetcar (right) and its equally purplish-blue shuttle counterpart. Courtesy of MARTA

Georgia Power’s excavation work will require one lane closure between Courtland Street and Peachtree Center Avenue. Safety protocol forbids streetcars from operating along open construction areas, according to MARTA. 

MARTA plans to use the downtime to perform a deep cleaning along the streetcar route, update vehicles and signage, inspect and repair catenaries, trim trees, and refurbish stations, per the agency. 

Streetcar fans may recall all four of the transit vehicles were pulled from service and replaced with shuttles for more than three months in 2023. That pause came after engineers spotted wheel degradation issues on the streetcars that could have posed risks. 

Atlanta’s streetcar system opened a decade ago—behind schedule and substantially overbudget—with a 12-stop route of new tracks. It’s taken lumps for being stuck in traffic, shut down for some major events, and for pulling in dismally low ridership numbers, but it remains a valuable service for transit riders and downtown guests. 

Controversial, $230-million plans to expand the streetcar system to Ponce City Market via the Beltline were squashed by Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens’ administration earlier this year. The city’s focus is now to implement streetcar service to the Old Fourth Ward near Krog Street Market, and along the Beltline’s Southside Trail, in conjunction with MARTA, though no timelines have been specified. 

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