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Waiting for rail on
the BeltLine
Let’s just get this out of the way at the
top of the letter: I’m a proponent of rail on
the BeltLine.
Call me an
originalist, an
absolutist, or an
idiot, but when
Ryan Gravel
conceived of
the BeltLine
back in 1999,
rail was always
a component.
In the loop’s earliest planning stages to
the reality we have today, rail has been a
component. What did y’all think that big
grassy area off to the side of the trail was
for?
Many residents and homeowners near
the BeltLine seem to have been taken by
surprise that the promise of rail might be
coming to pass sooner rather than later.
MARTA is currently working on its plan
to extend the Downtown streetcar to the
BeltLine and up to Ponce City Market.
I understand the trepidation by many
concerning the streetcar. It’s mostly empty,
has had maintenance issues, and it’s just
“big.” The BeltLine is busy with walkers,
joggers, bikers, and skateboarders, so
having the big blue streetcar running next
to it does seem off-scale.
When I pictured rail on the BeltLine in
my head, I guess I thought of something
akin to the trolley cars in San Francisco or
maybe some kind of open-air tram system
— something sleek and small.
That said, I believe the streetcar
extension will be a success. Imagine getting
on the train at Ponce City Market and
heading to the emerging tech hub in South
Downtown, the massive Centennial Yards
project, or to catch a game or concert at
Mercedes-Benz Stadium or State Farm
Arena. This is where the streetcar is going
to get traction and ridership.
During his State of the City address
on March 25, Mayor Andre Dickens
promised four new MARTA infill stations,
including one at the Murphy Crossing
project in south Atlanta. Where the other
three are going will be crucial to making
MARTA a more viable option for the
masses.
I lived directly on the BeltLine Eastside
Trail for 16 years and watched it transform
from an abandoned railroad line to the
thriving urban trail it is today. Since my
move to Midtown a few years ago, I’m still
only a mile from the trail. I want to see rail
on the entire 22-mile loop in my lifetime.
Will it be challenging to build rail
on some of the BeltLine segments? Yes,
especially trying to navigate the Krog
Tunnel area, but I believe we can solve
those problems. Will having a moving
train next to the trail take some getting
used to? Oh, definitely.
But if cities like Seattle, Dallas,
Toronto, and Charlotte can figure out
how to put in a streetcar network, so can
Atlanta. This city used to be crisscrossed
with streetcars that went far more places
than MARTA currently does. The biggest
mistake Atlanta ever made was tearing
out the existing system in favor of the
automobile. Allowing the Downtown
Connector to split the city in half was the
second, but that’s for another column.
Whatever the mode of transport turns
out to be on the BeltLine, let’s get it done
sooner rather than later. We’re 25 years on
from the conception of the BeltLine and
it’s time for it to take another big step.
EDITOR'S
NOTE
Collin Kelley
A rendering of the Atlanta Streetcar outside Ponce City Market. (Courtesy MARTA)
4 | APRIL 2024
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