MARTA's expansion currently entails 17 different projects, that's estimated to cost around $2.7 billion. The expansion entails an improved transit access with an emphasis on a new light rail and bus rapid transit lines. While some projects will get prioritized over others, due to economic factors timelines are expected to fluctuate. Below we've provided some tentative project deadlines:
Operational By 2025:
• Capitol Avenue (Summerhill) BRT: a four-mile bus rapid transit line linking Midtown to the new Summerhill development in downtown.
• Arterial Rapid Transit projects: bus improvements along Cleveland Avenue, Metropolitan Parkway and Peachtree Road.
• North Avenue BRT Phase I: a bus rapid transit line connecting the Atlanta Beltline’s Eastside Trail to the North Avenue MARTA station.
• Bankhead Station improvements: lengthening the platform to accommodate eight-car trains and significant growth in the neighborhoods surrounding the station.
Under Construction By 2025:
• Streetcar East Extension: an approximately two-mile route connecting the existing Atlanta Streetcar to the Beltline’s Eastside Trail and along the corridor to Ponce de Leon Avenue.
• Greenbriar Transit Center: a multi-modal transit hub connecting local bus service to high-capacity transit on Campbellton Road.
• Five Points Station improvements.
MARTA is working with a consultant to develop a cost-analysis tool, which will give them a better gauge on how soon a project could be completed. The likelihood of securing federal dollars, inflation and other variables can be factored into those estimates.
Another financial hardship MARTA must overcome is the decline of ridership, an issue plaguing transit agencies across the U.S. Since 2012, MARTA has experienced a 60% drop in ridership, according to the Federal Transit Administration's National Transit Database. A drop in ridership translates into declines in fare revenue. Last year, the agency secured $100 million in federal funding for various purposes. But those dollars are not guaranteed to be doled out in future years.