MARTA to temporarily halt Atlanta Streetcar services

Josh Green

Thu, 01/02/2025 – 10:36

A new year has barely dawned, but already it’s shaping up to be eventful for Atlanta’s transit agency.

Just days after marking its 10-year anniversary as Atlanta’s first new streetcar since President Harry Truman’s administration, as the AJC recently noted, the Atlanta Streetcar’s 2.7-mile Downtown Loop will be out of service for several days this month to allow for time-sensitive Georgia Power work to take place.

MARTA announced this week that streetcar services will be suspended between Jan. 13 and 17. The closure will allow Georgia Power crews to make emergency repairs on Carnegie Way. Meanwhile, city contractors and utility companies will use the five-day break to conduct adjustments and any necessary repairs near the streetcar’s tracks, according to MARTA.

Expect services to resume at 8:15 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 18.

The Atlanta Streetcar’s initial Downtown Loop spans 2.7 miles and passes numerous attractions. Shutterstock

MARTA plans to run its shuttle vans—wrapped to look similar to the streetcar vehicles—along the streetcar’s downtown route as utility work is underway. Those shuttles were also deployed when the streetcar system was shut down to repair all four of its vehicles in late 2022.

President Carter visitation shuttles

MARTA has also detailed plans for ushering Atlantans to and from a days-long visitation for the only U.S. President from Georgia.

The body of President Jimmy Carter will lie in repose from 6 p.m. Jan. 4 (this Saturday) to 6 a.m. January 7 (Tuesday) at The Carter Presidential Center.

Carter, who died at age 100 on Dec. 29, will then be taken to Washington, D.C. for memorial services.

MARTA will provide free direct bus service from the King Memorial rail station to The Carter Center for anyone wishing to pay tribute at the visitation. Rail service to the station will operate continuously for 60 hours, MARTA recently announced.

From there, the free shuttles will depart to The Carter Center every three to five minutes all day and night, beginning at 6 p.m. Saturday.

Officials note The Carter Center will offer no public parking, so attendees to Carter’s visitation must take the shuttle bus—unless they plan to walk, ride a bike, or take a ride-share service and be dropped off nearby.

Regular rates for MARTA’s rail service will apply.

MARTA Mobility services will operate every 15 to 20 minutes from King Memorial station, but local buses will be rerouted. (Find reroute details here.)

Prior to his presidency, Carter served two terms as a Georgia State Senator and as the state’s 76th governor from 1971 to 1975—during which voters passed a 1 percent sales tax to fund MARTA’s operations, as transit officials noted.

“MARTA is especially grateful for [Carter’s] leadership in bringing public transportation plans to fruition in metro Atlanta,” said Collie Greenwood, MARTA general manager and CEO, in a prepared statement. “We are proud to help pay tribute to him.”

…

Follow us on social media:

Twitter / Facebook/and now: Instagram

• Downtown news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta)