ATLANTA — Atlanta City Council is set to consider plans to bring light rail to the Beltline.
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Monday, council members will vote on a resolution to support a $3.5 billion plan to build a system along the popular trail.
As Channel 2’s Brian Mims reports, this vote comes after a three-year study of the idea.
The study calls for three light rail loops circling the city of Atlanta.
One would run the entire 22-mile length of the Beltline. Then there would be a northern loop and a southern loop connecting to downtown Atlanta.
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The study shows that riders could catch a train in either direction every 10 minutes.
The three routes would have trains running 18 and a half hours a day from 6 a.m. to 12:30 a.m.
Beltline officials say light rail on this popular running walking and cycling trail could generate 4.2 million trips every year.
Now Beltline and city leaders have to figure out where to start the construction and how to pay for the project.
Light rail alone would cost at least $3.5 billion and building new MARTA stations along the route would cost more than $1 billion.
Some beltline users have expressed concern about how much space the tracks would take up, but many welcome another transit option That takes traffic off the streets.
There’s still a long road ahead. Atlanta Beltline and city officials have to secure funding and complete planning and engineering.
The public has 90 days to provide feedback on the project. Comments will be accepted through Nov. 3 here.
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