Light rail transit system could be moving people along the Atlanta BeltLine by 2028

ATLANTA — Channel 2 Action News is getting a look at what a light rail transit system could look like along the Atlanta BeltLine.

During a quarterly meeting on Thursday, members of the Atlanta BeltLine organization said they, along with MARTA, are moving forward with transit plans.

“Utilize modern technology. We’d like to see grass tracks that we see in other cities around the world,” said Jill Johnson, Vice President of Government Affairs for the Atlanta BeltLine.

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Johnson told Channel 2′s Audrey Washington on Friday that transit has always been a part of the 22-mile loop of trails and parks.

“There will be five additional stops and the streetcar, light rail will run along the eastside trail of the Atlanta BeltLine, up to Ponce City Market,” Johnson explained.

Johnson said the organization reserved space next to the trails, specifically for transit.

“The concrete trail on the BeltLine might only be four feet wide with some soft buffers on the eastside trail, a foot wide, but the land that we control is at least 80 to 100 and, in some cases, 200 feet wide,” Johnson added.

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But not everyone is on board with the plans.

“We’re definitely pro-transit, but we just want to be smart about it,” said Billy Linville. He lives near the BeltLine and represents Better Atlanta Transit.

Linville told Washington there are a lot of concerns about the proposed light rail transit system.

“The first priority is to protect the BeltLine as we know it today and the paths that people have grown to love. Putting a rail alongside the pedestrian path is creating a lot of concern,” Linville said.

“We’ve heard from people who say, ‘Can you build out transit on the BeltLine that doesn’t require the overhead wires?’ Sure. ‘Can you preserve the green grass tracks?’ Sure. It’s possible, but we’ve got to study it,” Johnson explained.

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Johnson said the organization is still taking feedback from residents and conducting studies with MARTA.

She expects after a few years of construction, the goal is for the light rail transit system to be in service by 2028.

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