Community Corner

Streetcar Construction Update

The Atlanta Streetcar starter route will connect the Centennial Olympic Park area to the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site.

by Martin Bugajski

Take a tour of the entire 2.7 mile loop of the Atlanta Streetcar currently under construction in Downtown Atlanta. Crews have identified and marked all utility lines are are moving forward moving them out of the way of the future rail. More than 600 feet of rail from the old Atlanta Streetcar System Circa 1920's has been removed and work continues removing these rails along Andrew Young International Blvd. Meanwhile...

Individual sections of the Atlanta Streetcar -
  1. Centennial Olympic Park to Woodruff Park:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTo33...
  2. Woodruff Park to 75/85 Connector via Edgewood Ave:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1d0Fn...
  3. 75/85 Connector to King Historic District via Edgewood Ave & King Historic District to 75/85 Connector via Auburn Ave:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPPfF...
  4. 75/85 Connector to Woodruff Park via Auburn Ave:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mL2rZ...
  5. Woodruff Park to Centennial Olympic Park via Peachtree St, Ellis St, Carnegie Way & Andrew Young International Blvd:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJYCM...
The Atlanta Streetcar starter route will connect the Centennial Olympic Park area (home to the Georgia Aquarium, the World of Coca-Cola, the Georgia World Congress Center and the future National Center for Civil and Human Rights) to the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site.

Project Characteristics
• East-West route = 2.7 track miles with 12 
stops/stations (in design)
• Electric streetcar vehicle
• Shared with other traffic, on-street lanes
• Overhead power system (single trolley wire)
• 15-minute frequency (average)
• Operational costs to be covered by fare box revenue, advertising, ADID, Atlanta car rental and hotel motel tax and federal funds

The Atlanta Streetcar transit system is a collaborative public-private partnership between the City of Atlanta (COA), the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District (ADID), and the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA). 

The purpose of the Atlanta Streetcar project is to provide an integrated multi-modal, high-quality transit network that links communities, improves mobility by enhancing transit access and options, supports projected growth, promotes 
economic development and encourages strategies to develop livable communities. 

On Oct. 15, 2010 the City of Atlanta received notice of a pending federal funding award of approximately $47.6 million to fund the East-West route of the Atlanta Streetcar. The total cost of the project is $69.2 million, with capital match contributions from the City of Atlanta $15.6 million and ADID $6 million as part of a total contribution from ADID of $20 million over 20 years.
Benefits of the Atlanta Streetcar Project


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