MARTA rail
The MARTA rail network, a component of the MARTA transit system in Metro Atlanta, has four service lines: the Red, Gold, Blue, and Green Lines. The Red and Gold Lines mainly run along the North-Northeast corridor, and the Blue and Green Lines run along the West-East corridor. The two corridors connect at the Five Points station and is the only station where all four lines could transfer.
Rail system
All trains are identified by their destinations, and an automated announcement system announces train destinations, bus and other transit connections, and landmarks that at each rail station.During daytime hours, trains on the Red and Gold lines service the entire north-south trunk line and split north of Lindbergh Center. All southbound trains are identified with a destination on electronic LCD signs on the front and sides of the train and on each car. After 8:30pm on weekdays and 8:50pm on weekends, the Red Line runs as a shuttle between North Springs and Lindbergh Center, connecting to the Gold Line at Lindbergh Center.
Blue and Green lines service the east-west trunk line together between Ashby and Edgewood–Candler Park. At Ashby, Blue Line service continues to H.E. Holmes while Green Line trains divert to Bankhead Station. Green Line service terminates at Edgewood–Candler Park, while the Blue Line continues east to Indian Creek. After 8:30pm on weekdays and 8:50pm on weekends, Green Line service operates as a shuttle between Bankhead and as Vine City.
MARTA switched to a color-based route naming system in October 2009. Previous system maps used orange to denote the North-South line and blue to the East-West line.
Many suburban stations offer designated free daily and paid long term parking in MARTA-operated park and ride lots. These stations also have designated kiss and ride passenger drop off parking spaces closest to the stations' entrances.
Operation
The MARTA rail system operates between approximately 5 a.m. and 1:30 a.m. Monday through Friday, and 6 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Headways per line consist of 10 minutes weekdays during rush hour and 12 minutes during midday, and 20 minutes nightly and weekends. In the case of two routes operating on the same tracks, headways decrease to 5 minutes during rush hour and 6 minutes during midday and 10 minutes on the weekends during the day. All rail lines operate 20 minutes during late night mainly in part due to the Red Line only running from North Springs to Lindbergh Center stations; likewise with the Green Line from Bankhead to Vine City. Due to an ongoing rail system maintenance program, weekend headways are variable and may range from the normal 20 minutes to as much as 24 minutes, with the Green and Red lines occasionally being truncated all weekend. During weekends in the latter case, headways along the shared lines will increase from 10 minutes to 20 minutesBefore budget cuts in 2005 affected the rail system, MARTA originally operated trains every eight minutes during the day on weekdays on each route, with the North-South Line operating on a combined four-minute headway between Lindbergh Center and Airport stations on the trunk. On Saturdays, it was every ten minutes, and on Sundays it was every 15 minutes. At night, trains operated every 15 minutes.
Stations
- † denotes a terminal station
- Until 1994, the NE codes were just N
| Station | Code | Lines | Jurisdiction | Opened | Station Entries/Day | Reference |
| Airport† | S7 | College Park | 9,173 | |||
| Arts Center | N5 | Atlanta | 6,605 | |||
| Ashby | W3 | Atlanta | 1,791 | |||
| Avondale | E7 | Decatur | 4,327 | |||
| Bankhead† | P4 | Atlanta | 1,903 | |||
| Brookhaven/Oglethorpe | NE8 | Brookhaven | 2,357 | |||
| Buckhead | N7 | Atlanta | 2,643 | |||
| Chamblee | NE9 | Chamblee | 3,785 | |||
| Civic Center | N2 | Atlanta | 2,692 | |||
| College Park | S6 | College Park | 9,026 | |||
| Decatur | E6 | Decatur | 3,821 | |||
| Dome/GWCC/Philips Arena/CNN Center | W1 | Atlanta | 2,107 | |||
| Doraville† | NE10 | Doraville | 5,521 | |||
| Dunwoody | N9 | Dunwoody | 3,545 | |||
| East Lake | E5 | Atlanta / Decatur | 1,241 | |||
| East Point | S5 | East Point | 4,571 | |||
| Edgewood/Candler Park | E4 | Atlanta | 1,143 | |||
| Five Points* | – | Atlanta | | 19,447 | ||
| Garnett | S1 | Atlanta | 1,516 | |||
| Georgia State | E1 | Atlanta | 4,055 | |||
| H. E. Holmes† | W5 | Atlanta | 6,480 | |||
| Indian Creek† | E9 | unincorporated DeKalb County | 5,612 | |||
| Inman Park/Reynoldstown | E3 | Atlanta | 2,525 | |||
| Kensington | E8 | unincorporated DeKalb County | 5,950 | |||
| King Memorial | E2 | Atlanta | 1,517 | |||
| Lakewood/Fort McPherson | S4 | Atlanta / East Point | 2,207 | |||
| Lenox | NE7 | Atlanta | 3,284 | |||
| Lindbergh Center | N6 | Atlanta | 8,604 | |||
| Medical Center | N8 | Sandy Springs | 1,629 | |||
| Midtown | N4 | Atlanta | 5,664 | |||
| North Avenue | N3 | Atlanta | 5,045 | |||
| North Springs† | N11 | Sandy Springs | 6,436 | |||
| Oakland City | S3 | Atlanta | 4,432 | |||
| Peachtree Center | N1 | Atlanta | 7,453 | |||
| Sandy Springs | N10 | Sandy Springs | 2,322 | |||
| Vine City | W2 | Atlanta | 821 | |||
| West End | S2 | Atlanta | 7,056 | |||
| West Lake | W4 | Atlanta | 1,378 |
Rolling stock
MARTA currently operates around 307 married paired rail cars which can operate at speeds of up to. The trains are powered by an electrified third rail and can be operated in any combination from two to eight rail cars, with six cars being the normal length for the Blue, Red and Gold rail lines, and two cars for the Green line.| Type | Manufacturer | Fleet # | Years | Qty built | In Service | Propulsion | Notes |
| CQ310 | Société Franco-Belge | 101-200 | 1979-1980 | 98 | 95 | Bombardier MITRAC | 111-112 converted to work cars 101 unpaired. Located at Avondale Yard. |
| CQ310 | Société Franco-Belge | 501-520 | 1980-1981 | 20 | 0 | Bombardier MITRAC | All single units. Cars are retired and currently located at Avondale Yard. |
| CQ311 | Hitachi | 201-320 | 1984-1988 | 120 | 112 | Bombardier MITRAC | Some units are out of service due to the process of Life Extension work from Kinkisharyo. 118 cars will be refurbished. |
| CQ312 | AnsaldoBreda | 601-664, 667-702 | 2001-2005 | 100 | 100 | Bombardier MITRAC | Ordered from Breda before creation of AnsaldoBreda. Car numbers 665 and 666 were skipped due to negative connotations with 666. |
| CQ400 | Stadler Rail | TBA | 2023- | 254 on order + 100 options | 0 | TBA | Currently on order. Scheduled to enter service in 2023. Will replace all current rail cars. |
In 2002, Alstom was contracted by MARTA to overhaul all 218 CQ310 and CQ311 cars as part of a $246m refurbishment contract. The rehabilitated cars feature upgraded passenger amenities and upgraded propulsion and train control hardware. The first rehabilitated cars began service on March 12, 2006. The rehabilitation was completed on February 23, 2009.
In 2011, Alstom was awarded an additional $117 million 5-year contract with MARTA to upgrade its train control and SCADA systems. The new technology is designed to provide MARTA's rail team with more efficient operations, better communication between trains and stations, enhanced monitoring capabilities, quicker response times, and reduced maintenance costs. Included in the project is an upgrade for all 318 rail cars to install an enhanced Fault Identification and Monitoring System and full color driver's display built by Quester Tangent. The new systems passed "mini fleet" testing in 2015.
On December 1, 2017, MARTA posted a notice of intent to award a $146 million contract for the "Rail Car Life Extension Program" to Kinki Sharyo International LLC. On January 26, 2018, Kinki Sharyo signed the $146 million rail car refurbishment contract. The work starts with 118 cars, with 94 more options.
On March 29, 2019, Stadler Rail was awarded the contract to manufacture up to 354 new CQ400 rail cars for MARTA. These cars, which will enter into service in 2023, will replace the entire fleet of CQ310, CQ311, and CQ312 trains and provide expansion to the rail fleet.
Historical timeline
This is a list of key dates which led to the formation of the MARTA stations along the established rapid rail lines.- June 30, 1979 – MARTA's first train, the East Line, began operating between Avondale and Five Points Station. It also marked the start of MARTA's combined bus and rail service.
- December 22, 1979 – MARTA's second train, the West Line, began operating between Hightower and Five Points Station.
- September 1982 – the Peachtree Center and West End stations, along the North Line began service.
- December 1982 – the Arts Center and Midtown stations began service.
- December 1984 – five new stations opened: Lindbergh Center, Lenox, Brookhaven, Oakland City and Lakewood/Fort McPherson. The South Line was introduced.
- August 1986 – the East Point Station opened, extending the South Line by about two miles. A little more than a year later, the Chamblee Station began service and served as the temporary end of the Northeast Line.
- June 18, 1988 – the Airport Station opens, and becomes the southern terminus of the North-South Line.
- December 12, 1992 – The Bankhead Station/Proctor Creek Line went into service.
- December 29, 1992 – The Doraville Station opens and becomes the northern terminus of the Northeast Line.
- June 26, 1993 – MARTA extended East Line services through Kensington to Indian Creek Station – the first time the rail line went beyond the I-285 perimeter.
- June 8, 1996 – MARTA extended North Line services through Buckhead, Medical Center and Dunwoody Stations.
- 1999 – MARTA announced a partnership with BellSouth to create the Lindbergh Transit Oriented Development, a live, work and play community built around a rail station and the largest multi-use development of its kind in the United States at the time.
- December 16, 2000 – MARTA opened two new rail stations – Sandy Springs and North Springs – on the North Line.
- October 1, 2009 – MARTA renames its lines based on colors instead of directions.
- February 2010 – MARTA agrees to rename the Yellow Line as the Gold Line in response to outcry from members of the Doraville Asian community.
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