Why is MARTA extending the Downtown Streetcar?
and What does this have to do with BeltLine Rail?
By Spmarshall42 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0
This is the first in a series of blogs that will address frequent questions regarding the BeltLine rail project. In our first blog that introduces this series, we’ve called for a major reset of processes and priorities at MARTA, and a renewed commitment to BeltLine rail and the other projects in More MARTA, the transit expansion plan approved by City of Atlanta voters and funded by a ½-cent sales tax since 2016.
It might seem that the place to start BeltLine rail would be on the south side, or west side, or someplace near a major MARTA station along the 13+ miles of looping corridor that the city owns on the BeltLine. But a closer look at the history and the practicalities makes the decision to start at the eastern end of the current downtown streetcar clearer and more logical.
So to answer this question, let’s look at the history and the current situation….
Rail transit has always been central to the planning and ultimate success of the BeltLine. The More MARTA sales tax passed in 2016 included funding for a 13-mile section of rail along the BeltLine (the “J” running from Lindbergh to Bankhead). MARTA officially took over ownership and operation of the Streetcar from the City in 2018. The Streetcar East Extension, running from Martin Luther King Jr. Historic Site to Ponce City Market on the BeltLine has always been scheduled as the first phase of rail along the BeltLine under the More MARTA program. The 1.4-mile segment on the BeltLine will represent the first opportunity we have for rail on the BeltLine. What kind of transit the BeltLine should have is a settled question. The selection of streetcar technology for BeltLine rail was the initial choice and has been reaffirmed multiple times as the best option.
“A note about transit: Our agency supports MARTA as it works on the details of the transit portion of our vision.
MARTA announced progress on the Streetcar East project, which will extend the downtown Atlanta streetcar to Ponce de Leon Avenue along the Eastside Trail. Design and engineering reached 30%. Transit along the Beltline is a key part of our vision for a more equitable city.”
- Clyde Higgs, CEO Atlanta BeltLine Inc. in the AJC on December 29, 2022
MARTA’s completion of 30% engineering this past summer and its public outreach this fall are important laudable milestones. MARTA, ABI and Mayor Dickens have all indicated publicly that the project is moving forward.
“I want more rail. I want more light rail” … “I want (them) to be muscular and pushy on MARTA’s administration to do more. They have to deliver, and that means board members have to be aggressive and intentional.”
- Mayor Andre Dickens told Maria Saporta on December 12, 2022
Mayor Dickens expresses support for rail in the BeltLine to volunteer Beth Smith
So, why have MARTA and the City of Atlanta chosen to start on the Eastside Trail and why does BRN support this?
Image - MARTA SCE Presentation
The streetcar east extension is the only section currently ready to be built because it has undergone the most in-depth study and pre-planning by Atlanta BeltLine Inc. and MARTA.
This Extension is about providing equity. The entire Extension corridor continues to experience rapid growth, representing one of the densest corridors in metro Atlanta. It will connect to the MARTA heavy rail system at Peachtree Center, creating equity by linking all MARTA users to critical opportunities such as numerous jobs, healthcare facilities, and recreation throughout this fast-growing area.
The extension will show the “proof of concept“ of BeltLine rail and will become the model for the expansions both south and north from there and on other sections of the BeltLine on the west and southwest sides of the loop.
The project is funded entirely by local funds and requires no federal funding, making it the section that can be built the fastest. We already have the money for it, so let’s build!
The Streetcar extension will be operational by 2027, making it the only rail project in More MARTA that can be in service by the end of the decade. We don’t have time to wait longer- - the time is now.
The entire Extension corridor continues to experience rapid growth in both housing and job opportunities, representing one of the densest corridors in the City. The Extension can positively shape future development and connect existing and new residents to the MARTA heavy rail system at Peachtree Center, as well as MARTA users to the numerous job opportunities, shopping, and events that exist in the Ponce City Market area.
We can utilize and expand the existing streetcar maintenance barn underneath the Downtown Connector to house the new streetcars needed to serve this larger route without the acquisition of new property elsewhere, reducing the costs to put rail on the BeltLine.
The combination of transit and trail on The BeltLine in a single beautifully designed greenway has been part of the plan all along. It has the potential to transform the way in which we connect and to become an icon for Atlanta.
SCE is our opportunity to create a different kind of City, one that values people over cars. We have written about this opportunity with the idea to open the intersection of the BeltLine and Irwin Streets permanently to pedestrians and transit and to create a new kind of node centered on people and places rather than merely a conduit for cars.
While BRN supports the Streetcar East Extension, we also believe more action needs to be taken to ensure both the success of the Extension and the completion of the full 13 miles of BeltLine rail promised by More MARTA. We need to build the Extension while simultaneously preparing other sections of the BeltLine for construction, so we can begin engineering and building rail west or south, as soon as the Streetcar East Extension is underway.
BRN has also long advocated for fixes to the existing streetcar (see our next blog for further details and what we think it will take) which are necessary to ensure the success of the massive investment we are making to the Streetcar and BeltLine rail. These improvements are necessary to decrease transit time and increase service reliability in order to connect jobs to dense communities in historic Old Fourth Ward to Downtown and MARTA heavy rail at Peachtree Station.
BRN volunteers engage the public during the Irwin St. trial closure November 2022. Under construction is a new Portman development that will include a large covered porch fronting on the intersection. Photo - Matthew Rao
The SCE is just the important first step toward fulfilling the city’s holistic rail vision and is the catalyst for the rest of the rail projects in More MARTA. We’re closer than ever, and we support a robust dialogue on how, not whether, to make this the best project and deliver it sooner. We don’t have time to wait.
