NEWS BRIEF: MARTA’s expansion of Atlanta’s streetcar is heavily contested

MARTA continues its string of questionable ideas that receive public disapproval. On Monday, the outline of the Streetcar East Extension Project was revealed during a public meeting. The project, a 5-year plan costing between $176-$215 million, will extend Atlanta’s streetcar to the BeltLine’s Eastside trail, connecting it to current MARTA stations.

Vincent Fort, a former state senator, echoed the sentiment of many attendees, “Nobody rides it. Very few people ride it. And I’m not sure that more people will ride it just because you’re extending it to the BeltLine.” MARTA claims that, pre-pandemic, Atlanta’s Streetcar serviced an average of 3,000 people a day, and that the extension will boost numbers to an area that lacks public transportation.

This isn’t the only recent MARTA project that has been widely criticized. MARTA received backlash for choosing to sidestep light-rapid transit in favor of bus-rapid transit. cbs46.com