The new Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) Rapid A-Line has officially been confirmed to be receiving a two-phase introduction, with the first beginning Saturday 18 April as part of the NextGun Bus Network.
Spanning five miles in length; the Rapid A-Line connects Downtown Atlanta to Capitol Gateway, Summerhill, Peoplestown, and the Beltline’s Southside Trail, with connections to MARTA’s heavy rail system at Five Points, Georgia State, and Garnett Stations.
The project has experienced a number of challenges during construction, including the discovery of old infrastructure during excavation and a battery recall on the New Flyer battery-electric buses purchased to operate on the line.
Despite delays caused by the aforementioned circumstances; Phase 1 will launch on 18 April, and will feature services running between 05:00 and 01:00. In areas where construction has been completed, buses will operate in dedicated lanes with transit signal priority, and in areas still under construction, temporary bus stops located near stations will be used.
MARTA has stated it will share information on how to ride the new line, including detailed station and temporary stop locations and better Breeze fare payment instructions, in the near future.
Phase 2 of the project is currently scheduled to launch in autumn once all BRT stations have been completed.
