MARTA's first new transit line in ages hits snags, now delayed

Construction of MARTA’s first new transit line in 25 years has again encountered delays that will knock back the timeline for passenger service. 

That’s according to a brief update from MARTA officials posted today on social media regarding the Rapid A-Line project—formerly called MARTA Rapid Summerhill—that will provide bus-rapid-transit service between downtown and Peoplestown near the Beltline’s southernmost reaches. 

MARTA officials relay the Rapid A-Line transit project was on pace to begin service this autumn, “but construction crews unearthed shallow water lines and an underground parking lot!” reads the message. “So, we gotta hit pause. We’ll be back on track soon!” 

We reached out to MARTA for more information on what the unexpected hurdles could mean for the BRT line’s construction and nearby neighborhoods in the short term—and how long construction delays might be overall. According to an agency rep, key members of the BRT project team are out of the office on Spring Break and construction timeline updates aren’t currently available. 

[UPDATE: 4:25 p.m., April 7: MARTA sends the following additional information: "Construction has been paused only at one station, South Downtown (on Mitchell Street at Forsyth Street), because of these issues. Work continues on the other stations and the roadway... The Rapid A-Line will not be completed in 2025 as originally expected. We are still working with our contractors, the city, and the Federal Transit Administration to determine a new estimated start for the first riders."]

Back in December, MARTA officials told state leaders the BRT project had unearthed forgotten trolley tracks on Hank Aaron Drive in Summerhill that were expected to be left in place. In downtown, utility crews uncovered an abandoned garage beneath street level that could be linked to a nearby deck; the parking structure was capped with a steel plate as MARTA worked to contact the property owner, as Axios reported at the time. 

The project, Atlanta’s initial stab at creating a BRT system, began construction in the fall of 2023. 

The five-mile BRT loop will (eventually) link South Downtown to neighborhoods such as Summerhill and Peoplestown before ending near the Beltline’s Southside Trail at a station called Carver. Included in the scope are expanded sidewalks, bike infrastructure, realigned traffic lanes, and other work. 

Along the route will be connections to MARTA’s heavy rail system at Five Points, Georgia State, and Garnett Stations. The $91-million project marks MARTA’s first new transit line since the Sandy Springs MARTA station opened, back in the year 2000.

The region’s first BRT line will operate with new 60-foot electric buses, with the 14 stops featuring level boarding positioned about 1/3-mile apart from each other. Planned stations on Memorial Drive at Capitol Avenue and Trinity Avenue were previously axed to save costs, project leaders have said.

Each station will include real-time arrival information and off-board fare collection, allowing customers to pay before they board. About 85 percent of the corridor will have dedicated, bus-only lanes with transit-signal priority, meaning buses shouldn’t be bogged down in traffic and that travel times should be quicker, MARTA officials have said.

MARTA’s original timeline called for breaking ground on the BRT project in August 2022 and beginning service in 2024. But the project was dogged by skyrocketing building and labor costs (originally projected at $61.5 million), in addition to issues stemming from MARTA’s inexperience with creating new transit lines in recent decades. 

MARTA was most recently forecasting that construction on the Rapid A-Line would wrap up sometime this spring, with passenger service beginning later this year.

Once the line is built, buses are expected to arrive with frequencies between 10 minutes (daytime peak hours) and 20 minutes (late nights and weekend mornings). MARTA has estimated that 2,350 riders will use the service on a daily basis. The project is being funded by the $2.7-billion MORE MARTA half-penny sales tax for transit approved by voters in 2016 and a federal TIGER grant.

MARTA predicts traveling the full route from Five Points station to Carver will take between 12 to 15 minutes.

Beyond the downtown-Peoplestown BRT line, MARTA is moving forward with BRT transportation along the Clifton Corridor near Emory University, on Campbellton Road in Southwest Atlanta, and in Clayton County. Another four-station BRT route up Ga. Highway 400 with service to Roswell and Alpharetta is also being studied. 

Here's the most recent look at what's to come—eventually—between South Downtown and Peoplestown: 

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• Summerhill news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta)