ATLANTA — MARTA says it is 100% ready for the start of the FIFA World Cup Games in June.
On Thursday, MARTA’s Interim CEO Jonathan Hunt appeared before the joint House-Senate committee that oversees the transit authority.
They wanted to know, in no uncertain terms, if the transit agency was ready. He told them the same thing.
“MARTA is 100% ready for the World Cup,” Hunt said.
But that means more than just trains. Bus Rapid Transit lanes that will run from Southeast Atlanta through downtown will be ready by April, Hunt said.
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Committee chair, state Rep. Deborah Silcox likes the BRT.
“I’m really thankful that Bus Rapid Transit is the answer to a lot of our transit problems because it’s flexible until building heavy rail, which is static,” Silcox said.
Hunt also said security plans should be in place, along with programs to help the homeless around the stations. But not quite everything will be ready.
Hunt said parts of the Five Points Station will still be under construction.
MARTA said the pedestrian entrances to the Five Points MARTA Station will remain under construction, though they will try and beautify it in time for the World Cup.
They say the construction inside the station will be finished and ready to go for the World Cup.
Hunt points out that this is about more than just the World Cup.
“First, we care deeply about the World Cup and the people that are coming. We care even more about the folks that are here, our current riders, our current patrons,” Hunt said.
MARTA is asking the state for a 10-year extension of its core penny funding.
They also want traffic cameras to monitor Bus Rapid Transit lanes, so anyone blocking one can get a parking ticket.it’s
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