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martametro.bsky.social
MARTA Metro
@martametro.bsky.social
Here for discussion on ways to improve the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority ridership experience. Criticism, appreciation, information are welcome. Ideological politics are not. Not employed by or affiliated with MARTA.
Pinned
Hello and welcome to MARTA Metro. I'm a frequent MARTA rider, train and bus, but not a daily commuter. My proximity to the Chamblee station in DeKalb means I have a personal and vested interest in seeing the system thrive. This account is a forum for ideas on how to improve the ridership experience.
Reposted by MARTA Metro
INBOX: The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority has pledged to increase daytime weekend service to the highest levels seen in two decades, beginning April 19th.

For the first time, marta will run Red Line trains to the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport all weekend.
April 4, 2025 at 5:47 PM
I've ridden this line. Funny story, I got on going the wrong direction and went three stops before getting off to go the other way. Still wasted less than ten minutes. Almost inconceivable here.
"It's a world record."

Line 14 of the #Paris Métro, a 27-kilometer automated route, is now running trains every 85 seconds, or 42 an hour.

Each train can carry 1,200 passengers. It's expected to serve 1 *million* riders a day later this year.

www.leparisien.fr/info-paris-i...
April 14, 2025 at 1:19 PM
No. And it's worked out best for Summerhill and the Braves (though I personally won't pay to attend a Braves game as long as there's no viable transit there).
April 2, 2025 at 8:19 PM
I guess this means no transit ON the Beltline for at least a decade. atlanta.urbanize.city/post/beltlin...
City: Downtown streetcar will extend to Eastside Trail—but not in it
Westward extension could also link to Georgia Tech, Atlanta University Center, per project leaders
atlanta.urbanize.city
April 2, 2025 at 5:04 PM
The Atocha train station in Madrid has a garden inside.
March 28, 2025 at 11:52 AM
EY is relocating to Midtown, but probably not to this building
March 12, 2025 at 3:02 PM
To clarify, there is another parking lot (!) on the other side of the closed one that is the main lot for the station. I didn't feel like walking over there for a pic, but it's more than sufficient for this station's daily needs.
March 7, 2025 at 9:50 PM
Across the street from here another MARTA lot that was vacant for years was developed into a mixed use TOD about 8 years ago. Seems nothing has happened with TOD on MARTA property of late.
March 7, 2025 at 9:41 PM
Here's the smaller rear lot, which gets some use (not much on Fridays anymore), but it wasn't repaved.
March 7, 2025 at 9:37 PM
Stealing this from a post on the other site, my #8 MARTA improvement: utilize the unused parking lots. This one in Chamblee has been closed for over a year. They repaved it 6 months ago...for what?! Some time ago a Chamblee official suggested the Chamblee library relocate here. Love that idea but $$
March 7, 2025 at 9:34 PM
NYC: “Subway fare evasion decreased by 26% over the past six months…The data, which highlights the effectiveness of strategies implemented by the MTA, shows a decline from 14% of subway riders evading fares to just 10%.” www.amny.com/news/subway-...
Subway Fare Evasion Down, City Cracks Down on Violations
Subway fare evasion continues to go down the drain, as city officials ramp up efforts to curb fare-beating and ensure fair payment across the MTA system.
www.amny.com
March 7, 2025 at 7:29 PM
Get it done, MARTA. The biggest indirect improvement they could make to the (paying) ridership experience.
NYC: “Subway fare evasion decreased by 26% over the past six months…The data, which highlights the effectiveness of strategies implemented by the MTA, shows a decline from 14% of subway riders evading fares to just 10%.” www.amny.com/news/subway-...
Subway Fare Evasion Down, City Cracks Down on Violations
Subway fare evasion continues to go down the drain, as city officials ramp up efforts to curb fare-beating and ensure fair payment across the MTA system.
www.amny.com
March 7, 2025 at 7:26 PM
Reposted by MARTA Metro
If MARTA really is having a widespread problem with the devices that count riders at rail stations, they need to be upfront and transparent about it in a proactive way and let everyone know what the need is, what the cost is, and how soon it can be fixed.

1/2
Are Breeze card readers at MARTA rail stations really broken enough to impact ridership statistics this much?
If so, this maintenance failure is as concerning as the ridership itself, since fare payments affect MARTA's ability to fund things like maintenance.

www.fox5atlanta.com/news/fewer-a...

1/
Fewer Atlantans are taking the train, but MARTA says numbers are off
Ridership on MARTA trains has dropped in the last year, according to new data from the Federal Transit Administration.
www.fox5atlanta.com
March 6, 2025 at 2:10 PM
It's likely that illegal fare evasion (which they do cite) is a bigger problem than the broken gates, at least at some stations. I'm skeptical they have the will to tackle that problem.
March 6, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Also the lack of shovels in the ground for projects the funding was approved for nearly ten years ago. I'm not in ATL, but I understand why trust would be eroded.
“The unreliability and low customer experience that occurs for too many Atlanta residents daily across MARTA has eroded the trust riders desire to place in our transit agency,” Shipman said.

MARTA train ridership fell in 2024 despite gains nationally

www.ajc.com/news/atlanta...
MARTA train ridership fell in 2024 despite gains nationally
Only two cities saw ridership fall more compared to the prior year, according to an Atlanta Journal-Constitution analysis of monthly ridership reports from the FTA.
www.ajc.com
March 5, 2025 at 10:07 PM
I saw other reporting that listed also Lawsons General Hospital. That was a WW2 era hospital that is now the CDC campus in Chamblee.
March 5, 2025 at 6:18 PM
Apparently, several Atlanta fed buildings, and the Chamblee CDC and IRS campuses are on the list to be sold, but the list was taken down from the GSA site.
March 5, 2025 at 4:48 PM
Reposted by MARTA Metro
MARTA saw a slight bump in rail ridership last week - the first week federal employees were required back in offices: www.ajc.com/news/atlanta...
With federal workers back downtown, MARTA sees a bump in ridership
About 20,000 more train trips were reported last week compared to the same week a year prior.
www.ajc.com
March 5, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Mentions the bus tracking being different than rail and that bus ridership is up (and, I'd add, harder to evade the fare on a bus ).
March 5, 2025 at 3:51 PM
Haven't experienced those kinds of delays, but agree about the Breeze machines. After getting used to it, the Breeze payment app is easier to use.
March 5, 2025 at 3:48 PM
There is supposed to be a follow up to this story with some explanation of the weekend service cuts. My guess is it involves overtime pay and call outs.
March 5, 2025 at 2:46 PM
The AJC article about this mentions that bus ridership was up. That follows as bus ridership isn't tracked by fares (confirmed by the reporter in a reply). However, those machines are often not operable and not collecting fares either.
March 5, 2025 at 2:43 PM