ATLANTA — The Atlanta Regional Commission and the City of Atlanta have launched a study to find a new location for the Atlanta Amtrak Station, which officials say is currently too small and not ADA-compliant.
The Passenger Rail Station Alternatives Study, which began last week, aims to identify a downtown Atlanta location that offers better customer service, ADA accessibility, and multimodal connections for rail travelers.
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ARC said the current Atlanta Amtrak Station, located just north of Midtown, faces several challenges, including its small size, lack of nearby services, and distance from the nearest MARTA rail station.
Atlanta is served by Amtrak’s Crescent line, which connects New Orleans, Atlanta, Washington, and New York.
One southbound train leaves each morning and a northbound train leaves overnight.
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Ridership at the Atlanta station has been increasing, with about 78,000 passengers using the station in 2024, up from 68,000 in 2019.
Amtrak is working to bring all of its stations, including Atlanta’s, into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act by 2027.
Public input is being sought through a survey open until October, allowing residents to mark potential locations for the new station on an interactive map.
The Atlanta City Council passed a resolution in 2022 supporting a new Amtrak station and formally requested the alternatives study in 2024.
Historically, ARC said Atlanta was served by two large downtown passenger rail stations, Terminal Station and Union Station, both of which were demolished in 1972.
The current Amtrak station was built in 1918 as a small station serving the city’s outskirts at the time.
ARC said the survey will remain open until October and a draft plan or a new Amtrak station in Atlanta will be released in December, with approval by the ARC Board expected in early 2026.
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