Centennial Olympic Park
October 8, 2015
The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) operates both a rapid rail and bus system in Fulton and DeKalb counties. The rail system opened in 1979. The system has four lines, 38 stations, and about 47 miles of track. Trains operate using automatic train control, however an operator is on board to make announcements and take over in the event of an emergency, just like on Metrorail in Washington, DC or BART in San Francisco. MARTA also operates a bus network of over 90 lines that covers a larger service area than the train system. However, despite having the eighth largest rail system and fourteenth largest bus system in the country, Atlanta is considered to be one of the most car dependent cities in the United States.
Atlanta used to have a large streetcar system, though the last streetcar was removed from service in 1949. A new Atlanta Streetcar opened on December 30, 2014, and there are hopes that the system will be expanded beyond its initial phase in the future.
The MARTA rail system has 47.6 miles of track with 38 stations. There are two trunk lines in the system that intersect at the Five Points station, the system\'s busiest. The rail cars were built by Société Franco-Belge (CQ310), Hitachi (CQ311), and Breda (CQ312). The CQ310 and CQ311 cars were rehabilitated by Alstom between 2006 and 2009.
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