ATLANTA — The vision for rail along the Atlanta Beltline is getting more specific.
Channel 2 Action News reported when Atlanta Beltline officials released recommendations for a massive light-rail system.
The Beltline said the project could cost an estimated $3.5 billion and stretch along much of the Beltline’s 22-mile loop.
The proposal includes three routes and 13 proposed stations.
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Planners also studied three potential alignments for the northwest corridor, CSX, Peachtree and Ottley, ultimately recommending the CSX alignment because of its faster travel times and direct access to Piedmont Hospital.
For people who use the Beltline every day, the addition of rail could offer another way to get around Atlanta.
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“If it takes traffic off the streets, I see that as a net win as someone who also bikes the streets,” Beltline user Aaron Zauner said.
Katherine Watts, another Beltline user, told Channel 2’s Brittany Kleinpeter that the proposed connection to Piedmont Hospital could also make it easier for workers to get to their jobs.
“I mean I’m not a nurse, but I think that would be a great way for people to get to work,” Watts said.
Under the proposal, trains would operate for more than 18 hours a day, from about 6 a.m. until 12:30 a.m.
Some Beltline users are concerned about how much space the rail system could require and what that could mean for the existing trail.
“I think it would require more land than they have alluded to or set aside,” Beltline user Danae April told Channel 2 Action News. “When you’re walking along the Beltline you see these spaces set up and I don’t know if that has been communicated to all of the communities.”
Officials estimate the completed system could carry more than 4 million riders each year.
But there is still a long road ahead before passengers can actually board a train.
The next steps include securing funding and completing additional planning and engineering work with the City of Atlanta and MARTA.
For now, the proposal gives Atlanta a clearer picture of what Beltline rail could look like, and raises new questions about how the system will fit alongside one of the city’s busiest trails.
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