I ride MARTA almost daily. Frequency is a big issue. If a train is cancelled then you gotta wait another 20 minutes (what happened to me yesterday). Many of the connecting bus lines run every 40 minutes. I've had 2 cancelled on me back to back so I waited almost 2 hours. I would like to see the gold and red lines expanded too. People aren't gonna be likely to take MARTA after spending 20 minutes on the highway just getting to the station.

@starrwulfe

2 ай бұрын

MARTA's biggest problem post-pandemic is STAFFING. The bad frequencies are because they don't have enough operators to run trains. There used to be 8 minute peak, 15 off-peak and Sundays schedule when I was a rider during my college years in the late 90s and right when Sandy Springs station opened. It's gotten worse over time.

@sunglassesemojis

2 ай бұрын

I only ride MARTA when it’s a train-only commute. It is completely unviable for bus commutes because of the frequency and reliability issues you mentioned. 40 minutes, none late at night, frequent cancellations, and rarely on time is unacceptable if you want to get somewhere on time.

@WilliamAkins-rw2hv

Ай бұрын

With service issues like that, you're right; no one is going to park their car and risk a long delay.

@tigerstallion

Ай бұрын

train/bus tracking apps are good to alert you of cancellations / realistic arrival times / etc

@joelkatz7923

Ай бұрын

I like that at least the north springs station is accessible from 400, critically outside 285, but Doraville is pitifully inaccessible. I used to drive all the way to chamblee or oglethorpe because of how hard it is to get from 85 to Doraville. We desperately need a Norcross station that is accessible to the highway like north springs, or better yet extend the train all the way to gwinnett mall.

I like the very subtle dig at air travel “moves almost as many people as a fairly large train station” 😅

@laurencefraser

2 ай бұрын

Mind you, a 'fairly large train station' moves a LOT of people, usually on a lot of trips they take super regularly. Airports mostly (baring improper use of the mode) handle very long trips that (most) people take far less often, so even if they were doing the absolute best they could do at the job they should actually be doing, the largest airport moving a number of people equivalent to a large-but-not-largest train station is what you'd Expect. Actually, if your busy airport is moving more people than your busy rail stations it's probably a sign that your rail network isn't doing as well as it should be...

@LouisChang-le7xo

2 ай бұрын

bro cant be talking, as the Atlanta Charlotte HSR got funding a few months ago when they found it feasible (watch the Alan Fisher) meanwhile Canadian politicans can't even bring themselves to say HSR so they say hIgH fReQuEnCy rAiL

@tl8211

2 ай бұрын

It's actually pretty impressive, moving about as many people as the Tohoku Shinkansen.

@RMTransit

2 ай бұрын

@@laurencefraser Atlanta airport deals in an enormous amount of domestic traffic, not exactly Singapore or Heathrow

@kms1.62

2 ай бұрын

@@RMTransit …and most of it is transfer traffic. That’s why convincing Delta to get behind HSR in Atlanta is key. Heathrow is the king of O&D. And Singapore is just the coolest airport in the world.

ATLANTA’s mayor is thinking about using “SMALL PODS” ON THE BELTLINE!!! We gotta make people aware that that’s going to be a horrible decision.

@maniak1768

2 ай бұрын

Every self-proclaimed revolutionary techno start-up bullsh*t bingo has to have some pods thrown in there just for good measure.

@brycejones5381

2 ай бұрын

love your vids on the beltline!!

@scpatl4now

2 ай бұрын

We need a new mayor...bottom line. Remember that all you Atlantans when you vote!

@scottydude456

2 ай бұрын

Yeah that video infuriates me to another level. Small pods and slow transit on the beltline would be a policy failure

@Gfynbcyiokbg8710

2 ай бұрын

Ew

We're getting new trains, re-doing the central station, and talking about new infill stations. That last hurdle of building a new line on the system which we haven't expanded in 24 years is our next major hurdle.

@Afitts00

2 ай бұрын

Actually, I think the next major hurdle is actually building the infill stations and beltline rail. We can talk about it all we want but we need it built out already. I also have mixed feelings about the Five Points renovation - it seems like a lot of money to put down for a glass roof and I worry about having no walk-up access to the station for an extended amount of time. As a frequent concert-goer it'll make getting to The Masquerade very inconvenient.

@RMTransit

2 ай бұрын

Lots of positive stuff happening, just need to maintain that momentum

@triplethreatpodcasts

2 ай бұрын

@RMtransit not to be pessimistic, but the infill stations don't currently have a funding source and some locals see the stations as a tool to justify the cancellation of beltline rail.

@TheSPT

Ай бұрын

@@Afitts00 Closing the Five Points station for people who embark/disembark there until 2028 (with the temp opening during the WC) is a terrible misdirection of resources, and going to disrupt a lot of commuters for a largely cosmetic update. It's definitely a dated station, but functionality is good (though improving elevator access may be a better use of the funds than replacing the tile with more tile and a glass roof).

@james_chatman

Ай бұрын

@@RMTransit Nonsense.

You'll be pleasantly surprised that MARTA infact has announced plans earlier this year for a large scale TOD development at Indian Creek station and before that Kensington. Let's keep it rolling Marta with the TOD

@starrwulfe

2 ай бұрын

I use Indian Creek- it’s under construction right now along with major station renovations to the bus bays and platform. East Lake and Candler Park also are getting TOD in their parking lots too

@TheScourge007

2 ай бұрын

@@starrwulfe Hey a fellow Indian Creek user! I do like the TOD plans it's got and I'm glad they're doing the station updates that will include a walking connection to those apartments north of the station. I just wish the station planning teams would listen to the suggestions I keep leaving to include platform screen doors. Seems like a few times a year someone gets onto the tracks at one station or another on the lines and causes major delays and the doors would prevent almost all of that.

@JWill951

2 ай бұрын

I’m glad they’re finally starting to do that. Since the counties don’t want expansion, build TODs around the current stations so people can take the trains to their destinations. Dunwoody and Sandy Springs stations are perfect examples. You have the Perimeter Mall, office complexes, restaurants, bars, shopping, and residential and those areas are popular.

@RMTransit

2 ай бұрын

I am very happy to hear that!

@triplethreatpodcasts

2 ай бұрын

@RMtransit if you ever make another video on Atlanta, I'd love to help you with research or footage as an Atlanta native

I used to ride the MARTA a lot from Decatur to the airport. During Covid it was actually peaceful and pleasant. And then the homeless came back, the trains smelled, and at times I felt unsafe. I stopped riding and won’t until security is significantly improved.

@proelitemode3666

Ай бұрын

Exactly 💯

@thesingh3323

Ай бұрын

Transit influencers don’t like to talk about this because who wants to pick on already vulnerable people but the truth is that I and other men and women simply don’t want to deal with being locked in a steel box with folks screaming on drugs. Even if I won’t be physically hurt the discomfort and possible risks are too high especially for women and children.

@jalander8817

Ай бұрын

Moving Africans Rapidly Through Atlanta

@Chinesetakeout382

Ай бұрын

The main issue is that security likely won’t be improved because there isn’t anything most train stations can do about it without significant discrimination against the people who need Marta the most. Those issues have to be solved by state and federal policies. They have to actually help homeless people get a home, some food security, and a job, they have to actually implement policies that help people with drug addictions, They have to actually tackle poverty, fix schools, all of these things Marta simply can’t do and the government is unwilling to do despite those 3 things objectively making public transit, and part of the city safer.

@lilydiring4295

Ай бұрын

@@thesingh3323I ride public transit all the time and I can remember one time I had someone who was a screaming crackhead on the same train as me. Maybe 1 in 1000 trips? Personally, I turn into a screaming crackhead every time trying to drive anywhere on an interstate.

Grew up in the Atlanta area. There have been rather ambitious plans to expand MARTA for quite some time now, but pretty much none of them have ever come to fruition, for a variety of reasons. It's pretty depressing.

@leedart

2 ай бұрын

The only reason MARTA has not experienced expansion is it's the only major transit that gets no state funding. The city, county and DeKalb Co are the only investors in MARTA. Suburban counties do not want transit. So you have the Emerald City in a sea of backwards.....

@RMTransit

2 ай бұрын

It’s definitely demoralizing, but quite a bit seems to be on the go right now!

@seymoorepoone9512

2 ай бұрын

It’s not depressing. It’s a miracle.

@beckyumphrey2626

Ай бұрын

Crime follows MARTA!

@sarkaranish

Ай бұрын

@@beckyumphrey2626 no it doesn't.

5:00 “It should also think about refurbishing it’s older stations” MARTA is refurbishing Five Points station, the interchange of every line. However, they are closing off street access and buses (meaning transfers only) there for FOUR YEARS as it gets mostly cosmetic renovations. They are only opening for a couple weeks during the World Cup in 2026 and then shutting it back down. This comes after refurbishing the airport station, again mostly cosmetic, shut it down for six weeks rather than just having them single track and taking longer to work on it (and it shouldn’t even take that long in the first place!). How can you have TOD if you can’t even be certain that your station will be open once it’s there?

@barvdw

2 ай бұрын

You can't bake an omelette without breaking some eggs, but that seems excessive. 4 years? And for just cosmetic renovations? Yeah, that shouldn't be allowed.

@JWill951

2 ай бұрын

@@barvdwI was disappointed with what they did b/c I didn’t notice much of a difference based off the renderings but they said there’s more to do.

@RMTransit

2 ай бұрын

The agency clearly needs to learn to do projects without shutting things down, but that’s all part of a long process of improvement!

Imagine if we combined DC's transit oriented development with Toronto's bus system on every post-war metro system. We'd really be cooking it up in some of these cities.

@RMTransit

2 ай бұрын

Absolutely, and DCs system does have the advantage of more capacity and higher top speeds!

@seymoorepoone9512

2 ай бұрын

NO!

@user-ko2ig2hh7r

2 ай бұрын

The TOD happening at West Hyattsville is bonkers. It's like they're constructing a brand new city from scratch over there.😮

@james_chatman

Ай бұрын

Not going to happen because our politicians and their friend/family patronage recipients are more interested in bulldozing a forest to build a police fortress for the donor class than listening to constituents.

@ocularpatdown

27 күн бұрын

@@seymoorepoone9512no what?

I love how you mentioned the Indian Creek station being a giant parking lot because it’s been announced that it’s going to have the largest TOD project the city’s seen yet. It’s quite ambitious.

@RMTransit

2 ай бұрын

I’ve heard! So exciting and seems like an obvious site!

@trapmuzik6708

Ай бұрын

it's pretty much already built u can lesse an apt rn too bad the cheapest starts at $2100 I really wanted to live there

@james_chatman

Ай бұрын

No rail extensions and the 15th go-nowhere "study" of BRT extension to Stonecrest. It's a real estate development scheme and nothing more.

@ab8817

Ай бұрын

that just means more expensive shoebox apartments.

The fact that MARTA already has heavy rail directly into the airport landside terminal puts it way ahead of most US metro systems. An increase in service frequency would be nice.

As an Atlanta resident I’ve been saying this for years 😂

Atlanta has bold and a comprehensive transit plan that similarly matches what you said with an LRT by Emory and a beltline rail loop that already has its right of way preserved along with more lrt radiating from downtown and midtown to the beltline and all for the reasonable cost of 3 billion. The problem is the lack of political and financial support which has already demoted projects to BRT and with powerful local NIMBYs pushing to get the rail project cancelled all together. If you're curious read about Atlanta's Streetcar master plan and study from the mid 2010s

@thepeppypepper

2 ай бұрын

The beltline rail going to Old Fourth Ward is even already funded, already has the land and right of way, already has the streetcars themselves, and is breaking ground in 2025 and is still on track to open in 2028. The small NIMBY backlash has just sprung up at the last minute and their goal is to drain the already secured funding by asking for additional studies and trying to suggest alternative systems that aren’t studied.

@triplethreatpodcasts

2 ай бұрын

It's so frustrating to see when I know that the streetcar east extension is a good project that should have been done by now if we didn't keep doing studies that give the same answers. Our mayor even mentioned how the old studies for a few years ago were outdated and didn't include autonomous pods so we need another study. If you don't build, it gets more expensive, and when it gets more expensive, it gets more backlash. A vicious cycle we find ourselves in

@mrvwbug4423

2 ай бұрын

Atlanta's mayor wants to build "nice and slow people movers" on the belt line, strongly suspect he was bribed by a gadgetbahn manufacturer. Because when hasn't an Atlanta mayor not been on the take haha

@laurencefraser

2 ай бұрын

@@thepeppypepper Honestly, baring something being catostrophically and Obviously wrong with the project (the sort of thing where a study isn't actually needed to see the problem. Solving it (if it exists) is, of course, another matter), that should be well past the point where such complaints should even be listened to, let alone considered.

@laurencefraser

2 ай бұрын

@@triplethreatpodcasts anyone seriously suggesting 'pods' in public transport should be Immediately suspended and under investigation with strong likelyhood of removal from their position... because they're either corrupt or incompitent.

As someone who lived in seattle and paid for the light rail through taxes, seattle voted no and marta took the federal funding and got built. Really sucks for us

@RMTransit

2 ай бұрын

It does, Seattle would have made better use of a Marta style system, good for Atlanta though!

The system would have been way bigger if the suburban counties wanted in. Update: This comment blew up too fast

@ItsJayCross319

2 ай бұрын

This is the biggest opposition to MARTA expansion along with severe underfunding from the state. NIMBYs in Gwinnett and especially Cobb love to stop rail expansion because "oh no poor people in my suburban bubble" but then complain when they can't take MARTA to a Braves game anymore and moan about overcrowding and underserviced lines when they want to get to a concert or game downtown.

@crowmob-yo6ry

2 ай бұрын

Especially the evil Gwinnett County, which hates public transport because the irrational fear of crime is insane in that county. Worse yet, the dreaded Gwinnett County jail is worse than the 3rd world and lacks any human rights.

@f-86zoomer37

2 ай бұрын

@@ItsJayCross319 yeah. Republican nimbys are the literal worst. Flaming hypocrites

@waverod9275

2 ай бұрын

@@ItsJayCross319 THIS. And by "poor people", remember the backronym for MARTA from back in the day at least: "Moving Africans Rapidly Through Atlanta". It's not just classism going on.

@ItsJayCross319

2 ай бұрын

@@waverod9275 100%

Every time RMTransit uploads, I become 0.1% stronger

@RMTransit

2 ай бұрын

That’s . . . Interesting? 😂

Glad people are coming here to state that the lack comes from the politics of the state. Marta’s limitations have to be in the same reason sprawl has taken the city. I wish Marta was better especially since the traffic is the worst in the country by a lot. A typical drive can turn from 1.5 hours to 4.5 on an average weekday

@Unownshipper

2 ай бұрын

I think we're just barely beat out for that award by Los Angeles.

MARTA has been handicapped since it's inception. Atlanta's suburbs (still) do not want to be connected to the city at all. Expansion has been rejected time and time again - and, of course, expanding *today* is ever more expensive. One consequence is that it is useless for commuting. But the time a suburbanite reaches the outermost station, they're already near their destination (and the freeway expansions means they've also just passed the congestion and the rest of the trip is (usually) smooth.

Woohoo! My city is getting coverage! And I agree with these critiques but I do want to note a few things that ought to be noted. First, I think it's important to say we're already planning and building more TODs at a lot of stations, mostly along the Blue Line. Indian Creek that you highlighted has been having public meetings for about half a year helping to develop plans to transform that parking lot into a TOD with 1,600 housing units! Other stations like East Lake, Hamilton Holmes, Edgewood/Candler Park, Avondale, and some southern stations like Oakland City are in various stages of building/planning TODs. That part is an easy win in MARTA's control that they're acting on. Second, MARTA is hurt by many of the common problems of transit planning (NIMBYs, bad project management, and a dispersed population/job centers), but also by some more uniquely MARTA factors. For instance, those MARTA extensions you drew, which would be good, cross into counties that are not part of MARTA and that have so far resisted all efforts to join MARTA. But another issue is that MARTA is one of the very few transit agencies in the US (and definitely the largest one) that gets ZERO state level funding. All funding for MARTA is dependent on the agency, the cities/counties that are part of MARTA (just Fulton, DeKalb, and Clayton which make up together a bit over a 1/3rd of the Atlanta metro population), and whatever federal grants the system can get. This really limits funding for expansions or upgrades. Third, some discussion of the current plans beyond Beltline Rail (currently in the middle of a political fight as a small number of NIMBYs in Old Fourth Ward are trying to kill it) would help illustrate the potential and problems the current system faces. For instance, there's a connection in planning phases to go from Lindbergh Station (where the Red and Gold lines meet/diverge) through Emory to Avondale Station on the Blue Line. After initially talking about light rail, planning seems to have settled on BRT but as of the last meeting I went to for this, the problem is currently there's only funding support from Fulton/City of Atlanta not DeKalb county meaning the project is only funded to make it half way only going to Emory. This sucks and is a huge problem with non-centralized funding sources that MARTA has. Fourth, we're doing some station refreshes but with some notable failures. First, no refresh that's been announced or started has included much in the way of operational improvements, mostly being aesthetics with what operational improvements that are included being the exception not the rule. Most frustratingly none include platform screen doors (and I've been trying to get that in these guys heads in every survey and meeting about stations I go to). And some are downright nuts! Five Points Station which is downtown next to GSU, a number of offices (that are still used despite Atlanta's shockingly high office vacancy rate post-COVID), and the quite nice Fairlife-Poplar restaurant area, is having pedestrian access shut down for FOUR YEARS! All to change the old roof from a brutalist-style to a glass canopy. They're not building housing or offices on top. They're not adding platform screen doors despite every six months someone getting on the tracks and causing big delays (a bit morbidly a few years back that included the MARTA CEO of the time committing suicide jumping in front of an approaching train). They're just shutting down everything but train transfers in the central station of the system for YEARS with a brief re-opening during the World Cup. It's a slap in the face to transit users and people who go to or live in downtown. And don't even get me started on how delayed and neglected very necessary bus expansion and updates have been! I love Atlanta and I'm proud to say that MARTA rail is the most used rail system in the US south of DC, but it can be SO much better!

@JWill951

2 ай бұрын

Man, you said everything that needed to be said. It’s sad b/c I see the potential but we just have so many roadblocks with Marta, peoples mindsets about Marta down here, and no state funding, there’s not much hope with them. At least we’re getting new trains though. And I agree, Five Points should’ve been another TOD station but I guess they’re depending on Underground Atlanta to take up for that slack since he hasn’t done much to that place either which also has a lot of potential but don’t me started on that.

@RMTransit

2 ай бұрын

All problems for sure, but all completely solvable

@stevegavigan8124

Ай бұрын

Are you familiar with Caleb Stubbs' regional rail proposal (ATL Trains), and, if so, what do you think about it?

@TheScourge007

Ай бұрын

@@stevegavigan8124 I have heard of it though it's been a few years. If you made me dictator of Georgia that kind of system would be priority number 1 for Atlanta. But, not being dictator of Georgia, it's too ambitious for practical passage even if by some miracle we got politicians in the state house who didn't hate Atlanta. So to be honest, the first thing we should do is pour money in MARTA's buses rather than the more dubious station rehabs. Service is a lot lower than pre-pandemic still and we've lost several cross-town routes that don't just bring you to the nearest train station. But on top of that, way finding on the buses needs to be much better. In that it needs to exist at all. Buses need internal screens letting people know the 1) bus route number, 2) direction, and 3) upcoming stops. Get the bus fundamentals right and we'd see a lot more train use recovery too.

The problem with Atlanta transit is that downtown Atlanta isn't nearly what it was when MARTA was first built. Once I-285 opened around the city, many downtown businesses moved to be near that highway, creating a situation where the subway doesn't go where people need to be. My dream would be to have a MARTA line that follows I-285 with busses at interchange to serve nearby offices, but I know that's highly unlikely.

@leedart

2 ай бұрын

You are right but again suburban communities do not want transit by vote. So Poor people will become a Tesla when another area votes to eat Atlanta's pie.

@ab8817

Ай бұрын

Honestly the only sane idea that has been proposed. A 285 parallel train would actually serve people's needs in terms of commutes. Everybody else just wants a new train to take them to their favorite bar.

@jaytroxel3495

Ай бұрын

Exactly right... a LOT of businesses relocated outside of ATL downtown since MARTA began in the 70s. Look at Decatur, Roswell, Alpharetta, Marietta, Vinings, Smyrna, College Park, Norcross, etc. All those locations are now business powerhouses. Those are the locations that people have to get in their cars and drive to. I think part of the problem is Atlanta/MARTA got behind the 8 ball and could not keep up with ridership demand, causing people to drive.. and you add in homeless/security/trashy areas around MARTA stations, and layer on top the train/transfer delays and your average person in Atlanta has a bad taste in their mouth over MARTA. Sad.. but true. I think most people take MARTA because there isn't a better choice, unfortunately.

@jalander8817

Ай бұрын

No. That’s not the problem with Atlanta 🤣

NIMBYS in Cobb county be like… 👁️👄👁️

@DiamondKingStudios

2 ай бұрын

Or my aunt In Gwinnett.

@spades9048

2 ай бұрын

Yeah…all the surrounding counties should just be so willing to pay for MARTA. After all, MARTA has done such a great job covering downtown. Who wouldn’t want to pay extra sales tax just so you can get 3 bus routes that no one uses along with endless drawings of things that will never get built.

@FoCoBuzz

2 ай бұрын

@@spades9048Precisely. They have added two stations this century in the jurisdictions where they are well established. How long will it be before Cobb, Gwinnett, or Forsyth ever see the 1st foot of track? They’ll be paying a penny sales tax that entire time to subsidize DeKalb, Fulton, and, to a lesser degree, Clayton counties. That’s a hard pass for me as a Forsyth resident.

@RMTransit

2 ай бұрын

Transit good

@starrwulfe

2 ай бұрын

@@DiamondKingStudios She’s in the minority now. We’re expanding transit over here with or without her; this county is officially 1 million people now.

There won’t be a significant expansion of the existing rail network for decades. If ever. MARTA in the 70s had a hard time signing on the suburban counties. In the 2000s, one of the 70s holdouts joined (Clayton) with the promise of new rail lines. Those lines never came. Now they’re getting an extremely halfway implementation of BRT. MARTA as an org has serious problems and a legit bad reputation when it comes to executing on projects. If rail expansion ever comes to the metro, it will almost certainly be via another agency.

@RMTransit

2 ай бұрын

Change is possible, it’s happened in many cities!

@rykilg

2 ай бұрын

⁠@@RMTransit I’d love to see the change happen! I know I gotta keep my cynicism in check but man, the cards just seem permanently stacked against transit in Atlanta. I’d love to see your thoughts on the gadgetbahn being proposed to replace Beltline rail:/

An expansion into Gwinnett was proposed a few years ago but residents voted it down. The trains absolutely need to run more often. We went to a concert at the Benz a few weeks ago and took Marta. The trains were still running every 20 minutes even with a major event. The trains were packed. On top of that we have to switch trains from the gold to red line and that’s another 20 minute wait. I really wish they would improve Marta because I despise Atlanta traffic. It just shouldn’t take 2 hours to get from North Springs to the Benz on Marta.

I am British.Prior to watching this video, I knew that Atlanta had the world's busiest airport, but did not even know that it had a metro! (I did of course know about the modern DC and BART systems.) The video is extremely clear (and concise). Even before the map appeared, I was expecting to see something like the map you first showed at 7m 40s. To me, the obvious solution is to build more branches added on to the two existing cross-city lines. That would then lead to much better frequencies through the core sections. Put slightly differently, the Atlanta Metro does indeed need to become more like an S-Bahn.

Unfortunately, MARTA doesn't receive funding from GDOT which makes expansion tricky.

@bersl2

2 ай бұрын

Geez, that was even true back when I was attending Tech almost 20 years ago.

@tarik158

Ай бұрын

It’s that AND those suburban counties by law have to vote to join the system. MARTA can’t force anything.

The other missing part of the conversation about lower transit ridership in recent decades is that downtowns have lost their retail districts and classic department stores, and office employment has greatly suburbanized to office parks especially in the sunbelt and rustbelt.

@JWill951

2 ай бұрын

That part but that’s all going to change once Centinnial Yards and South Downtown projects are complete b/c those will bring more retail, entertainment and residential which downtown desperately needs in order for it to thrive

please look into WHY we don't have the lines in those other counties. 1. we don't get ANY state funding 2. out of the 6 counties in the metro ATL area only 2 of them are funding MARTA, the rest have their own systems that barely interconnect. This isn't as simple as drawing maps.

Native Atlantan here. I think your idea of the I285 BRT is a really good idea. Would have to be a protected right of way to some degree, and even then there'd still be issues, as I don't see a world where ATL drivers respect bus lanes at all. People will use those lanes to get ahead at whatever cost. It's an absolute free for all and people don't respect the rules of the road since COVID.

@scpatl4now

2 ай бұрын

Plus they are building express lanes currently so I don't see much room for any transit ROW

@crowmob-yo6ry

2 ай бұрын

Meanwhile, the evil tyrant Kevin Leonpacher violently arrests people for "jaywalking."

Reece, you hit the nail on the head to fix Marta: 1. TOD around more stations, 2. Expansion, 3. Infill Stations, 4. Build Beltline Light Rail, 5. Convert the Streetcar to Light Rail & expand it to the Beltline, 6. Build Europe-style Regional Rail only after the above.

@scpatl4now

2 ай бұрын

...7. Get a new transit friendly Mayor

@Megasteel32

2 ай бұрын

he apparently did ZERO research into policy tho. how can you expand when there's ZERO state funding (there's actually a state law banning the funding of pub transit projects) and without the cooperation of 2/3rds the counties here.

@user-qm4mb7ct3d

2 ай бұрын

8. Create lines which connect northeast to southwest and northwest to southeast respectively 9. Remove laws that ban governmental funding

@JWill951

2 ай бұрын

@@Megasteel32now that I didn’t know about the laws. If that is the case, then Atlanta is screwed when it comes to any expansion. No wonder Marta is focusing on TODs. They don’t have the money to expand. Clayton County was supposed to get an expansion but something with Norfolk Southern not approving to share their tracks

@Megasteel32

2 ай бұрын

@@JWill951 even worse, in like 10 or 15 years the tax that funds MARTA is going to get cut in half. and yeah, norfolk southern will share their tracks with public agencies right after hell freezes over.

The streetcar now runs every 30 minutes, and you can guess how that impacted the already-low ridership. I can literally walk its length faster than if I had waited for a streetcar. It’s infuriating.

@danbert8

Ай бұрын

The streetcar connects a bunch of fancy hotels where people who would never take transit stay... I honestly have no idea why it was built or what it was supposed to provide connections to.

One thing I think MARTA also suffers from is a lack of interest in the other counties in supporting it. Cobb county doesn’t connect to it and basically forces you on the freeway or the rapid transit.

I rode Marta from Peachtree Center to the airport last fall. I was struck by how much it resembled the DC Metro, but without any aesthetic maintenance since it opened (or more likely the ‘96 Olympics).

Personally I think regional rail might work for Atlanta and other North American cities for travel to and from nearby cities and towns, not necessarily just suburbs. In Atlanta's case it would be Macon, Athens, Chattanooga (TN) and maybe Savannah (EDIT: might be too far, Augusta would be a better option), among others, while MARTA takes care of the suburbs.

@DiamondKingStudios

2 ай бұрын

Columbus, please! We’ve been waiting here fifty-four years, and if someone can reacquire the abandoned ROW it’d be so great.

Their Amtrak station is terrible, I was surprised it was so small and run down considering it's in such a big city

@ojsimpson1234

2 ай бұрын

Amshack

@kharimarquette

2 ай бұрын

​@@ojsimpson1234Definitely that! 😂😂😂

@truelife974

2 ай бұрын

Totally not about Amtrak. All about the airport.

@KevinLeroyGrant

2 ай бұрын

@@kharimarquette My sister was trying to pick me up but she had trouble finding it because she didn't expect it to be that small 😂

@kryptism

2 ай бұрын

Mostly every major city in the south has a small Amtrak station! Our transit station here in Orlando is bigger than our Amtrak station!😮

20 min frequencies in a city that size is unacceptable especially when O-train for all its faults runs every 10 and Ion runs every 15

@TheRandCrews

2 ай бұрын

still abysmal compared to the 4-6 minutes for Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal. But honestly, US metros don’t run that frequently anyways

Extending the green line northwest to Marietta along I-75 and branching off southwest beginning around Capital Gateway in the I-20 median to Stonecrest seems like the most obvious expansion plan. Multiple branches off existing line wouldn't really make meaningful improvements; the most important thing noted is that Atlanta can spur more transit related development along existing station. The lack of density is the real issue

I was also impressed by your proposal for what I would call an 'Outer Circle' BRT system. As an aside, I would add that London needs something similar circulating about ten miles from the city centre.

One of my biggest problems with MARTA when I used it was that it needed a lot more track branches. The last time I was over at Georgia Tech, I thought it was weird there wasn't a closer station.

The streetcar makes the most sense to connect west-midtown (Georgia Tech) area all the way up 10th street to then down the belt-line. The vast majority of it's traffic would likely be Midtown residents and students who would use it to frequent the attractions between those two areas (lots of bars and restaurants + Piedmont park). Georgia Tech is already well connected with bus service in midtown to MARTA plus the vast majority of its students already live within a 5 minute walk of the two stations, heavy rail expansion isn't really needed there.

You'll also be surprised to hear they are refurbishing 5 points and the airport station currently and eventually the midtown stations. Now if that's the best use of 300 million is another question.

@RMTransit

2 ай бұрын

Will they actually be nice? If so probably!

@Netizpossible

2 ай бұрын

Hopefully it is. Although building a ring line around 285 or parts of the beltline would be better for advertising and connecting lines outside of five points imo.

@triplethreatpodcasts

2 ай бұрын

Hey Reece! I think 5 points will look fantastic when it's done and they even got some state funding. The problem is that they are closing the station entrance during the world cup for it and half the cost is to replace the canopy and only about 20 is to improve platform and concourse level. Same with the airport with most of the cost for canopy replacement. Now I won't complain about improvement, but when they say they don't have enough money to build full LRT to Emory is tough to swallow when the difference in cost is about the same they are spending for these purely aesthetic projects

@LouisChang-le7xo

2 ай бұрын

@@RMTransit I think we forgot how to do things cheaply so thats why it costs this much to refurbish. Very North America

@andrew_ray

2 ай бұрын

But isn't Five Points going to be closed for years to do the refurbishment?

Native Atlantan and transit believer here; I've not lived there for 40 yrs (have been in DC!) but have visited frequently. The dream we all had when MARTA was created fell victim to NIMBYism and racism, and a knee-jerk rejection by most Southerners of "big city stuff like they have up North," even as the city grew into a Top 20 metro area and then a Top 10. I hate to say it, but I think turning Atlanta into a truly dense, walkable, transit-oriented, world-class city is probably a hopeless dream (at least for someone like me, approaching 70; I certainly won't see it). People there gripe about traffic and the cost of their cars but they are flat-out addicted and just can't imagine not having that "freedom." It makes me very sad because there was so much promise in the '60s when MARTA was conceived and it really was the one Southern city that felt like some approximation of a city. BUT YOU DID A GREAT JOB, REESE -- I MUST ADD THAT!

tunnels threw downtown that can have 30 trains an hour (and only has 5) and a belt line that can have level crossing duel lines on 98% of it without buying any land!!!! Atlanta has the potential to have the best Metro system in America if they just expanded all of their metrolines out.

NIMBYism in surrounding counties prevents outward expansion. The surrounding counties don't want it. I've heard some voices saying they would be more likely to accept it if it had better coverage but it would take more than the changes mentioned. It would have to get NY like in its coverage - lots of NYC expats live in the surrounding burbs - and even then, I don't know if there would be enough votes to okay the expansion. Noone ever mentions the low population density of the areas in question in these videos which discuss it. One must always consider people per area, not just people. This is what determines the financial viability of a rail system and how much you can spend on it. That system is already more than I would expect for such a sparsely populated area. The same metrics for the other systems mentioned - MWATA and Bart - are higher by far and fuhgeddaboud a comparison NYC. Considering cities with thriving heavy rail, NYC proper - not the NY metro area, just NYC proper - has about 75% of the population of the entire state of GA. Atlanta proper doesn't even have 1 million people; it's about half that for an area that I believe is actually larger than that of NYC proper. Serious sprawl.

@LouisChang-le7xo

2 ай бұрын

Surprisingly i think helsinki had this problem expanding its metro to the suburbs and experts said they only justified hourly buses. But once it was actually built and buses started running frequently it was all good.

As a Brit who visited, the Aquarium is indeed awesome and MARTA was kinda terriying.

@crowmob-yo6ry

2 ай бұрын

Worse yet, there's also the evil tyrant Kevin Leonpacher who violently arrested a British tourist for the fake invented victimless "crime" known as jaywalking.

@starventure

2 ай бұрын

Why was the MARTA terrifying to you?

@alanfarquharhill

2 ай бұрын

@@starventure Slight exaggeration, and it's been a few years. But lack of visible staffing presence, begging, general aesthetic are all factors. I later met a friend of a friend who grew up ATL. He said he used to cry everytime he went on MARTA. TBF I also found getting the L from O'Haire pretty terrible. Most old mass transit in the US is pretty unfriendly looking.

@starventure

2 ай бұрын

@@alanfarquharhill Yes, but the older tube lines in London are decrepit looking too, but no one calls it terrifying. There must be something special about ATL and CHI compared to London that makes the difference.

@alanfarquharhill

2 ай бұрын

@@starventure They're much cuter. Plus middle class ppl use them so if/when there are problems then attention is brought to bear.

Crazy coincidence, I just took the train for the first time over this weekend and was writing up my thoughts too. Frequency was ok, but everything just felt so old. The trains in malaysia had a map/display in the train that showed you which stop you are at and which stops are next, and loud and clear announcements saying which stops are coming up.. but the marta trains didn't. I think 1 train had an announcement for each stop, but I could barely hear it. The other trains had no announcements or signs or anything. One train had a red scrolling LED board with the next stop listed... but it was off 90% of the time, and when it DID show the next stop, it showed the WRONG stop, it showed the previous stop we left a minute ago. No doors or gates to block someone from falling onto the tracks either, not even at the central station. It all reminded me of the old rural trains in Malaysia that were outside of the city center.

As someone who lives on MARTA where trains pass outside my window- yes, yes, yes, and yes… We need it all. MARTA was visionary and now it’s falling far behind the city it is supposed to serve.

Love this video, Reece! As a former Atlanta resident, I have been begging for people to support the expansion of MARTA for over a decade. Just north of Arts Center station and just before emerging above I-85, there are stub tunnels branching off the main line that MARTA built in anticipation of constructing a proposed line towards Marietta, but when the MARTA measure in Cobb County failed they discontinued construction on the line. There are a couple of these stub Unfortunately Cobb and Gwinnett County funding is critical for further expansion of new branches, but as other commenters have said the broad public is digging their heels against it for very stupid reasons. If I was in charge of planning MARTA's expansion, I would focus more on connecting the satellite communities (Marietta/Kennesaw, Alpharetta, Duluth, Snellville, Conyers, Douglasville, etc.) to downtown Atlanta and along 285, since that's where the bulk of the commuter traffic is concentrated. Downtown Atlanta proper is fairly traversible in the existing configuration for now, although future proofing is a good idea. For instance, you mentioned expanding rail service to Georgia Tech, but it is pretty well covered by the University's free Tech Trolley system that also serves Midtown Station.

@cameronwhitehead3860

Ай бұрын

There is a way to fix it with out having to expand MARTA into those areas. I’ll speak on the northeast and East side because I know it 100%. Change Avondale into a multi train type of station. It’s the first that meets up with the Georgia Road subdivision of CSX. That will link St Mountian, Lithonia, Conyers Covington, Social Circle And all the way to Augusta. Then you have Edgewood on the same line. To save $, scrap the Avondale transfer and make it at Edgewood. There you are just west of the split to CSX Abbeyville Sub from the Georgia Sub. Then you’ve added the Avondale list as well as Tucker, Lilburn Lawrenceville, Dacula/Auburn (I say that because there is Palmer Yard between both so make the depot there), Winder and Athens. Now let’s look at the NE Line (I don’t remember the colors. I’m old school lol) make Doraville the transfer. There you have access to Norfolk Southern, who already has 1 a day Amtrak with one stop in the middle of the night or first thing in the morning depending on your direction of travel. You just opened up Norcross, Duluth, Suwanee, Buford, Oakwood, Gainesville etc. By embedding diesel power commuter rail there, you keep them out of the busy part of the Atlanta Terminal District that all railroads meet downtown. Also, an added benefit is it would be MUCH less expensive than having to build a specialized 3rd rail line to these locations. For your Snellville area, they are perfectly located to go to 3 different stations via car or bus. Lawrenceville, Stone Mountain or Lithonia.

@Nerdherfer

Ай бұрын

@@cameronwhitehead3860 Why wouldn't you just expand MARTA into those areas though? If you are doing commuter rail you would need to build specialized infrastructure anyway to avoid right of way issues with the freight traffic (that is why the Amtrak train is constantly hours behind schedule), it really isn't a huge step up to expand the MARTA track at that point. Also doing commuter trains like that at a lower frequency and having to make people transfer to/from MARTA to a commuter doesn't really fix the problem. It just creates another headache that reduces ridership, and people would rather just sit in their cars at that point. If you want to do extended commuter rail like that you need to run it all the way into downtown Atlanta like the commuter rail in Chicago, New York, and LA and just have it be a completely separate system.

@cameronwhitehead3860

Ай бұрын

@@Nerdherfer because you just turned hundreds of millions of tax dollar spending and 5-10 years into tens of billions and 20-30 years. The citizens of Gwinnett voted it down due to the spending and the timeline

They totally nerfed the Clifton corridor that was supposed to be a highly used line.

As a long-time Atlanta suburban resident, I definitely agree with every point in this video 😅

This sounds like a reasonable fix. If only the MBTA in Boston could be fixed reasonably 😭

@malik_alharb

2 ай бұрын

Ive lived in boston and atlanta, boston is wayyy better

If I had to prioritize transit development in Atlanta I would consider improving the bus network on the Southside and northeast towards Doraville and duluth. Many migrants who live in these areas are forced to live in transit deserts in the burbs with no access to affordable means of transportation .

Marta has great bones: two high throughput cross-town tunnels, a direct connection to the airport, and most of it's high-density already served by the metro. It is ripe for branch line expansions. And yes, the lack of feeder buses at the suburban stations is infuriating. I really like your proposed NW-SE line, which could probably utilize the beltline right-of-way and constructed cut-and-cover

@starrwulfe

2 ай бұрын

There are feeder bus lines already, just not enough of them because the outer counties don't do it and GRTA doesn't seem to want to run express bus services to MARTA stations other than North Springs.

Hi @RMTransit I am from the Nuremberg Area in Germany and next week sunday there will be an election for extending the tram network from north of Nuremberg out through Erlangen and to Herzogenaurach. This will connect the much bigger city to the headquarters of Siemens, Adidas and Puma as well as the university. I would love to see an analysis like this that could be used to still convince some of the people unsure about it on whether the tram system as it is planned makes sense or not, and if or why it is better or worse than similar service through buses. A few of the common points there are: - Trams are higher capacity and higher tact than current bus routes - Buses require significant amounts of drivers to increase frequency, which is difficult as bus licences are expensive and hard to get - Trams can be piloted with only minor additional training on top of a licence - Trams are psychologically the "better" option, increasing numbers of riders relative to an identical bus service - Trams are a more long term investment that won't suddenly be cut again to reduce cost as would be easy to do for buses The vote is going to be on 09th of June 2024

@jeffreyhare5695

Ай бұрын

Ich Liebe Deutschland. US Army Soldat stationed @ 98 General Hospital Rothenberger STR 300 circa 1988 bis Feb 92. Lived in Fuerth (don't know how to do an Umlaut), U bahn 3 blocks away, buses galore, ICE and Deutchesbundesbahn which I took to Amsterdam----awesome.

I was pleasantly surprised and impressed when I saw Atlanta and Marta for the first time last year, even though it was a bit of a wait. I live in Houston with a joke of mass transit, so Atlanta should be thankful they got this built.

Growing up in Marietta and constantly being dragged to the city, I was always very impressed and awestruck at how fast the trains were. Compared to NYC which is a "real" network but reeked of urine.

Developers and capital investors own Atlanta. I don't know why people think there is suddenly going to be a push that makes Atlanta turn into NYC. Cost of living is going up because of this hype and it is unrelative to wages and opportunities and wages. People will not ditch their cars in Atlanta to use the beltline and the streetcar and MARTA. They own e-bikes (that are more likely to run you over than a car) AND cars. Urbanists in Atlanta (most of which seemingly have only recently moved to the area) have been used as useful idiots to promote projects that are just portfolio-stuffing for developers and investors. No transportation efforts are addressing actual variables that should be i.e. commutes to work. When you look at the proposals, the endgoal is to get to bars and restaurants. That is not sustainable long-term for a city's growth. People have been trying to get bus routes fixed for YEARS and are ignored, meanwhile yuppies move into the city and demand a streetcar to take them from the Food Hall to the bar. It's kind of disgusting. When people can't afford to live in the proposed "15 minute city" it is no longer a city. It's a theme park for the rich.

The main problem is that MARTA was never really designed to get you around the metro Atlanta area. It was designed to get you into Atlanta and out of it. MARTA doesn't really take you anywhere. Also that many counties outside of Fulton don't want it in their areas. Fixing MARTA would require re-thinking it's current methodology and address how to get around the area. Now, Georgia has the GRTA which takes Marta, then adds additional bus lines. Gwinnett and Cobb both have their bus systems that interface with MARTA, but that becomes an issue with Atlanta's #1 problem.. automotive traffic. Many can get to where they want to go faster by driving, and because of that..they don't take Marta. If it wasn't for the airport connection, a lot less people would use it.

Pretty depressing to see how many blocks those highways and interchanges occupy in the core of the city. That same capacity could be serviced by transit and suddenly you've got literal square miles of land available for development.

Re 8:33: Surely a electrified BeltLine would be more reliable and cost effective than a BRT. Strange not to mention the plans in detail in your video.

They have talked about the Clifton Corridor (the Emory line you spoke of) for at least 10 years if not more. I live in one of the neighborhoods impacted, so I know it's a mess. It was supposed to be LRT, then they quickly ignored any input from us and decided to go with BRT. This would run along the CSX ROW for a good part of the way, and maybe that is what is holding it all up, but BRT is a poor solution on a route that will see huge ridership if it ever gets done. Emory has no rail connection and no freeway connection either so traffic can get really bad. A LRT line from Bankhead through Atlantic Station to Piedmont Hospital (a very large hospital) connecting up to Buckhead would be on a wish list. West Midtown in the Howell Mill corridor is also very poorly served and is growing in leaps and bounds replacing former industrial areas with dense residential and light commercial. Beltline LRT would really help this area. With a State government that contributes no money, and a Mayor who is quickly trying to backtrack on all his transit promises, I would be surprised if anything gets built. Oh, and all the people who comment about the infill stations...that announcement was a ploy to distract from the fact that the mayor was trying to kill Beltline rail he promised to support. No one at MARTA knew anything about these stations until the mayor announced them. I doubt they ever get built in the next 20 years.

@JWill951

2 ай бұрын

West Midtown and Emory been needed Marta train stations. And like he said in the video, Georgia Tech should have its own station too along with Piedmont Park.

Same thing happened in Charlotte: A light rail system was announced and the residents of the white flight 'burbs fought it tooth and nail. It was finally built, and what they did manage to complete is really nice. There, as here, people would rather pour that money into 10-lane freeways and 10-story parking decks. I gather there was a nice system proposed for Nashville but they voted it down there, too. Excellent summary.

@andymcburney

25 күн бұрын

It's kind of a problem all over the Southeast. The culture assumes everyone is self-sufficient, and the government's job is to do the bare minimum and stay out of your business. If you want anything more than that, you have to pay for it yourself... which is not how transit works.

Atlanta should build the Multi Modal Passenger Terminal at Five Points and have a regional rail system for the city and surrounding counties

@DiamondKingStudios

2 ай бұрын

Atlanta deserves a good big station to act as the hub for the Southeast’s passenger rail system, like how it was originally founded. At least I’d then be able to go to Atlanta by train from my city for the first time since 1970. CSG-ATL cannot be entirely served by I-185 and airport shuttles.

MARTA is about to close their largest station to pedestrian access -- while continuing to service it for transfers -- for *three years.* The system's leaders are totally incompetent. Another problem is quite a bit of anti-social behavior on the system, which is ignored by police.

I was not really with you until you said ring line. I honestly believe that if they put a station in the middle of an empty area, that area will become developed, plenty of Queens was farm when the EL was built.

One fact that is important to note is that MARTA just released a master plan for its Indian Creek station doing a lot of transit oriented development in the area. While I am skeptical about whether they will be successful, it is interesting to look at.

the biggest hurdle around getting marta to the suburbs is the stigma around it. cobb and gwinnett. atlanta (inside 285) is split between five counties (fulton, dekalb, clayton, cobb, and gwinnett). cobb and gwinett have shot down marta again and again, but they’ve shown to be more amenable to commuter rail. i also think that mixed modality makes sense here. i think miami is a good example to model after. dense downtown gets a high frequency, free line (metromover / atlanta streetcar). the more immediate area gets a metro (metrorail / marta). the greater metro area gets commuter rail (tri-rail in miami’s case). tri-rail runs on 1 hour headways and provides decent service. it also cost a fraction of what it would have cost to build new track or grade separate. atlanta has the tracks in place, going to pretty much every major suburb. they’re just owned by freight companies.

It's also funny that the Atlanta suburbs are turbo-NIMBY about MARTA expansion while here on the Colorado front range we're like "GIBS US ZE TRAINZ" they can't get the front range regional rail built fast enough, funding wasn't around in the 2010s to get the RTD line to Boulder built when US36 was rebuilt in 2016.

@MrGus.1

Ай бұрын

You are comparing apples to kumquats. CO does not have the crime problem that Atlanta (murder capital of the US) has. If people do not feel safe, they will not use public transit. Atlanta's "public transit problem" is really a "public safety problem". Kick out the bleeding heart liberal democrats and then talk about Marta expansion.

Seeing MARTA talked about this way is a can of fresh air. I grew up in one of the suburban counties that people would travel from to work in ATL, and I only heard disparaging comments about MARTA, including the nickname given to it by racists.

Atlanta really needs a line going to Truist Park. There is no way to get there without a car. On game day, it's a $40 Uber from downtown to the stadium. I've always paid more for transportation to and from the park than my baseball ticket and stadium food.

I can still see Atlanta benefiting from commuter rail. There are ppl who commute all the way from Tennessee into ATL every day for work. However, I do see a benefit to expand the Marta network.

As a native Atlantan, what you have said is what the Atlanta Metro needs. However, the metro is made up of several counties who are in the mindset of NIMBY’s. When they announced the belt line back in the early 2000’s it did include light rail but that was deemed too expensive once they started construction even though the belt line was already the path of several old rail lines around the city. Another that has been talked about since the late 80’s is the branch to Emory and the CDC from Lindbergh or arts center. It was briefly explored in the late 90’s to build the “Brain Train”. This would take existing lines from GA Tech to Emory and then commuter to UGA in Athens. (Don’t get me started on Athens - the home of a major State University that has no train service or passenger airport).

MARTA rail trounced BART in Q4 2004: BART: 322.9K / 104.5 mi = 3.1 riders/mi MARTA rail: 226.2K / 48 mi = 4.7K riders/mi Not to mention that pre-2004, individual MARTA rail lines ran every 8 minutes vs. every 15 for BART, or that MARTA rail has far more outside-of-downtown TOD than BART.

@LouisChang-le7xo

2 ай бұрын

Growing up in the south bay I didn't even know what BART was until I read about it somewhere. I always stared through the glass windows at SF, wondering what those white sci fi trains were for. I thought they were probably in some weird storage facility of former airtrain sfo rolling stock BART is really just a gadgetbahny techbro innovative parking lot dispersion system but not as idiotic as the ATL mayers plan for belt line pods

I've lived in ATL since 1987. And I can tell you how much ATL's metropolitan suburbs that surround the actual city of Atlanta, have weakened MARTA on top of ONLY 3 municipalities paying for it (City Of Atlanta, Fulton County, and Dekalb County). The Suburbs NEVER wanted mass transit, outside of I-285. What the suburban counties did was form their own separate bus transit that funnels suburbanites into the city, and have MARTA take care of the rest. It's a COMPLETE mess. And with the formation of newly incorporated suburbs propping up, yearly, there also no existing real estate to create the lines. Budding big cities PLEASE take note from a divided ATL, on how NOT to develop mass transit. Suburban flight out of ATL are the culprits behind this transit divide

The one thing MARTA could do that would improve ridership the most is ban cash payments on buses: make Breeze cards required or get something like OMNY. The amount of time spent waiting for people to sift through their bags for pennies (yes, actual pennies) makes the bus lines slow enough that the 30 minute frequencies aren't actually the worst part, and any sane person with a car will never use them. It's a real shame too because most of the buses are actually pretty nice inside.

I'm sorry.... I'm not saying that you're not wrong but like many other urbanists... You don't apparently see the main reasons why MARTA hasn't expanded as much as WMATA or BART: NIMBYs, politics and in the case of Atlanta: blatant racism. MARTA does need to expand... But the government will have to change or be faced with the truth before hand... Freeway expansion is not the solution. As for the park and rides... Atlanta can kill two birds with one stone and turn them into more housing developments with high density and low parking footprint.

@x--.

2 ай бұрын

heh, yeah. I remember visiting and folks being concerned that I willingly got on MARTA. I don't live there so I don't know if the reputation is deserved but is sure seemed pervasive.

@GriffenDoesIt

2 ай бұрын

MARTA is also critically underfunded for the same reason. That's why a lot of the More MARTA dollars disappeared into basic operation and fleet maintenance, not expansion. We need robust state and federal funding if we even want a hope of expanding heavy rail.

Part of the problem with MARTA is that the surrounding counties , DeKalb, Cobb, McHenry, etc. don't want commuter trains, which hinders growth. They love their cars.

Great work! I love to see channels that try to provide answers to actual problems.

I’m so glad you’re covering MARTA its the train system near me and it has a lot of flaws but I hope to see it improve

Good news on some of the things you’ve pointed out. 1. They are planning on more infill stations primarily along the Beltline which hopefully will also see some rail of its own. 2. The Indian Creek station plans for TOD just got out forward from MARTA. It looks mostly good. 3. Station rehab is in progress. The airport terminal just got rehabbed (still need the canopy portion to be complete vis a vis the plan). Five Points is next, though there’s controversy around the plan to do it. Many others are also being rehabbed along the east side blue/green lines. The North Ave station is being rehabbed as well.

RMTransit MARTA video let's goooooooo! *cue Atlanta mentioned meme*

I’ve lived south of Atlanta since 1999. When I worked at GaTech I drove in since there’s no station on campus. When I worked at Delta, the closest train station was further than my office. When I worked in midtown, the office was a block from the Arts Center station. So drove between home and College Park and rode MARTA the rest of the way. Loved it. Wish I could have taken the train from Newnan all the way in. When I go to big events downtown I usually drive to College Park and ride the rest of the way. But the train doesn’t go to enough places to make that an option for everything. The biggest problem in making Marta better is the fact that so many people don’t want stations nearby. The Atlanta suburbs are lousy with NIMBY (not in my back yard).

9:40 Bankhead (Green Line) was already supposed to go to Vinings and Cobb County 50 years ago. It could continue South-East as well without expensive new infrastructure in Midtown/GA Tech.

If a city is already sprawling, should we encourage continued sprawl by extending transit out into it, or should we build more transit and develop more in the inner city to encourage those people in the suburbs to move back into the city?

The first city I visited in the US was Atlanta. Flew in from London during the 2012 Olympics, expecting a well functioning subway system in this Olympic city. After walking almost 1 hour to the nearest subway station to only wait 45 minutes for the next train, I realized why “car is king” in the US.

Georgia Tech is serviced by 2 Marta stations. Mid town via a free trolley and North Ave via both the North Ave bridge and tunnel. It is the only FBS football stadium with a rail connections making it a great way to get to campus

Marta and Miami are both incomplete. That's the biggest problem.

@LouisSubearth

2 ай бұрын

Same with Tren Urbano in San Juan

Great video, especially since I live in Metro Atlanta myself. A complaint I’ve had for many years is how Marta hasn’t been expanded to the county I live. We have our own for some strange reason.

@starrwulfe

2 ай бұрын

Political foolishness in the 1980s mostly. Originally Marietta, Lawrenceville, Jonesboro and Union City were to be covered per my father’s old 1985 street map.

I actually just got back from visiting some of my cousins in Atlanta. I think MARTA is supposed to be a bit more commuter-rail like metro system, like BART. This would explain why there is no commuter rail system. However, I think this makes it so there is no excuse to extending MARTA further out into the suburbs and creating new lines. Also, it would benefit if the streetcar got extended and turned into a proper LRT for increased connectivity in central areas of the city.

@beckyumphrey2626

Ай бұрын

I live in the Atlanta suburbs. WE DO NOT WANT MARTA HERE! It brings crime.

I could tell you didn't do research for this topic because surrounding counties voted to block marta expansion. This is the southern us city where car is king and transit is dirty. To get car loving transit hating people to chose public transportation is Premium priced fast clean express type service to weed out the undesirables from coming to their neighborhood. A better video topic is Austin Transit Future.

@TheRandCrews

2 ай бұрын

or maybe even Miami? Interesting if they’ll expand Metrorail after some new expansions of commuter and intercity rail recently.

@pureessenceofgaming1745

2 ай бұрын

@@TheRandCrews Miami voted to expand Metrorail 15 plus years but all they did is the airport extension. Miami, Atlanta, Baltimore Metros have no future because the ridership sucks. Those cities go BRT Plans number 1 on the list. The same cites that have a driver shortage.

I've lived in Atlanta for six years and used to commute by Marta. I'd honestly love the changes you've suggested

Atlanta’s biggest mistake is having an Amtrak station in the middle of nowhere. Move it near GWCC and add a few brightline trains to Orlando. That should give the metro more ridership.

@DiamondKingStudios

2 ай бұрын

They had two big stations until the 1970s. I think the MMPT in the old Gulch area should have been built where those two used to stand.

@RMTransit

2 ай бұрын

I don’t agree, while having the station in a better spot would be positive, it’s not going to move the needle much on ridership

@adithyaramachandran7427

2 ай бұрын

@@RMTransit One of the main reasons Americans don’t take the train outside select cities is the concern on how to get to/from the station. If Atlanta had a centrally located intercity rail station with good access to MARTA and other modes of public transit then more people would use those services. This would improve ridership on both regional and intercity systems. A lot of flights out of Atlanta are to more regional destinations in North Carolina and Florida. These could be served by good intercity rail. For example, your typical leisure traveler could take a flight into Atlanta, Marta to the train station at the center of the city, and Amtrak up to the smokies instead of waiting for another regional flight or renting a car.

@adithyaramachandran7427

2 ай бұрын

@@DiamondKingStudios I believe Atlantic station was a major rail terminal. Now it’s been turned into a faux pedestrian mall with a massive parking lot below it. Also, this spot and most of NW Atlanta (Vinnings, Smyrna, etc.) have no connection to Marta rail. There is a 15 minute bus to the arts center. I’ve made that trip on transit before and the reliability can be hit or miss.

@starrwulfe

2 ай бұрын

@@adithyaramachandran7427 Atlantic station was actually an Atlantic Steelworks smelter operation until the 80s then sat as a brownfield until EPA cleanup was funded by government grants and became what is there today starting in the 2000s. There was no 17th St bridge prior to this nor ever a “station” other than for freight serving the smelter.

Well orchestrated, factually based, and I really like the new intro! Nice work, Reese!

Love your videos Reece and love to see coverage of Atlanta Transit!!! ❤🚊 We’d like to make a correction though, the BeltLine Rail Streetcar is far more extensive than suggested at 9:09 This video only shows the first 1.6 mile long segment of the 22 mile long line that will encircle the entire city along the BeltLine. The initial 1.6 mile segment will open in 2028 but that is by no means the end of the line!

@scpatl4now

2 ай бұрын

Beltline Rail Now!!!

As a born and raised Atlantan (Grady Baby) what it bars down to is we have a generational urban/rural clash. Families I know, that were brought up in the inner cities of the core Atlanta population in the 50s and 60s (East Point, Hapeville, College Park,) moved out to the more rural areas and counties to avoid various hazards. Leaving many families similar to mine in the city limits. During the 70s, 80s, 90s and on, the city grew economically, population wise, and In influence. This developed a resentment amongst the certain communities. I hear it from both sides. Honestly I feel as if there has to be a dying off of generational and mindset in order for MARTA to get any progress. I have seen this region demographics change rapidly throughout this years. And they bring a whole other perspective and mindset. I love this region as many as others do. But, just because I live in the suburbs, doesn’t mean that I won’t support MARTA or shouldn’t support it. I think it comes down to CONTROL. Who will control MARTA? Will they control themselves, or will the state of Georgia control them?

If only the federal funding for the metro system stayed for Seattle’s, because I think that city could’ve managed the metro system much better than Atlanta. It could’ve made Seattle much more comparable to Vancouver.

I’m in Dallas and ride the DART train regularly. Increased security presence on the train has really helped the overall safety. We have some of the same issues and challenges you describe. After visiting Switzerland I came back pretty depressed on the state of all mass transit in our country.

@BL4CKKN1GHT

3 күн бұрын

Yeah Switzerland was an eye opener in terms of transit and it’s potential

Marta kinda gets away with being kinda subpar for me because even at its worst, it’s not as bad as driving in traffic and can get you anywhere in Atlanta that you’d want to get to.

Suburban racism in the 1970s-2000s limited the system. Fortunately, today's generation is more demanding of Rapid Transit expansion and higher frequencies

@BL4CKKN1GHT

22 күн бұрын

The only constant is change

I live about 3 miles from the doraville station and the one thing stopping me from using Marta more is the bus frequency. My closest bus stop is 3/4 miles away (no issue) but theres only 1 bus every hour. I had to leave my house 2.5 hours early to get to my job in midtown on time because I had to walk to the bus station, catch the bus that runs once an hour, catch the train, get to midtown, and then decide to either walk or wait for another bus to take me up 10th. And when you live in the suburbs after 11pm or midnight there’s no buses to take you back home depending on which line/day of week.

Fascinating and fantastic video RMTransit!