ATLANTA — Atlanta Beltline officials presented final recommendations for the Beltline Transit Study, proposing a $3.5 billion light-rail system to connect neighborhoods across the city.
The plan recommends the CSX alignment as the preferred route for the northwest quadrant of the transit line, offering the fastest travel times and direct access to Piedmont Hospital.
The three-and-a-half-year study, funded by the Federal Transit Administration, consolidates prior research into a comprehensive transit plan along the Beltline corridor.
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Given planning work already conducted by MARTA in the Northeast Beltline Quadrant, the study concentrated on the northwest, southwest and southeast quadrants.
Planners evaluated three route options in the northwest quadrant: CSX, Peachtree and Ottley.
The study team selected the CSX alignment because it provides the fastest average speed, lowest travel time, direct service to Piedmont Hospital, lowest capital cost and highest ridership.
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Where is this going to happen?
The final recommendations designate 13 station locations along the southwest and southeast transit corridor.
The proposed operational plan features three bi-directional routes running 18.5 hours daily, operating from 6 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. and including the following stops:
- Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway
- Joseph E. Boone Boulevard
- Martin Luther King Jr. Drive
- Langhorn/Enota
- Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard
- Lawton Street
- Murphy Avenue
- Metropolitan/Pittsburgh Yards
- Pryor Road
- Milton Avenue/Hank Aaron Drive
- Hill Street
- Boulevard
- Glenwood Avenue
What’s do Beltline officials want to do?
Conservative modeling projects the finished light-rail system will carry 4.2 million annual riders across a three-route network.
The network consists of a full Beltline Loop, alongside a Northern Loop and a Southern Loop that connect directly into Downtown Atlanta.
Each route is scheduled for 20-minute headways, providing 10-minute wait times at station platforms.
Transit models developed using the Federal Transit Administration’s STOPS software project that 40% of users will be transit-dependent riders, 55% will use infill stations and 21% will represent new transit trips.
Project planners calculated the $3.5 billion capital cost estimate based on 10% to 20% design quantities rather than a standard per-mile estimate.
Where is this information coming from?
The study also incorporates preliminary planning for a proposed MARTA heavy-rail infill station at Murphy Crossing. Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens announced a four-station infill initiative in 2024, aimed at expanding regional rail connections in southwest Atlanta.
Advancing the light-rail project will require securing funding and completing additional planning and engineering in coordination with the City of Atlanta and MARTA.
For the proposed Murphy Crossing station, the next phase of work will analyze technical feasibility and produce conceptual plans, elevations, renderings and a planning-level capital cost estimate to guide future decisions.
How do I get involved, learn more?
Members of the public can review meeting materials and submit feedback online through the Konveio portal or by emailing engage@atlbeltline.org.
Public comments will be accepted through Nov. 3.
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