Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority
| Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority | |
|---|---|
MARTA Rail System | |
System map | |
| Overview | |
| Locale | Atlanta, Georgia |
| Transit type |
|
| Number of lines |
|
| Number of stations | 38 (rail) 12 (streetcar) |
| Daily ridership |
|
| Annual ridership |
|
| Headquarters | Atlanta, Georgia |
| Website | itsmarta |
| Operation | |
| Began operation | February 17, 1972 (buses) June 30, 1979 (rail) |
| Technical | |
| System length | 48 mi (77 km) |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Electrification | Third rail, 750 V DC (rapid transit) Overhead line, 750 V DC (streetcar) |
| Top speed | 70 mph (110 km/h) |
The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA /ˈmɑːrtə/) is the principal public transport operator in the Atlanta metropolitan area. Formed in 1971 as strictly a bus system, MARTA operates a network of bus routes linked to a rapid transit system consisting of 48 miles (77 km) of rail track with 38 subway stations. MARTA's rapid transit system is the eighth-largest rapid transit system in the United States by ridership.
MARTA operates almost exclusively in Fulton, Clayton, and DeKalb counties, although they maintain bus service to two destinations in neighboring Cobb County (Six Flags Over Georgia and the Cumberland Transfer Center next to the Cumberland Mall), while Doraville station serves portions of Gwinnett County via Ride Gwinnett buses. MARTA also operates Mobility, a separate paratransit service for disabled customers.
In 2024, the entire system (bus and subway lines) had 65,190,800 rides, or about 188,900 per weekday in the first quarter of 2025.
After 2000, expansion of the MARTA system stalled, after the completion of three new rail stations north of the Interstate 285. In 2016, Atlanta voters approved a historic sales tax increase to raise $2.7 billion over 40 years, in order to significantly expand the MARTA system (dubbed the More MARTA program), including 29 miles of light rail transit, 13 miles of bus rapid transit, arterial rapid transit, transit centers and multiple infill MARTA stations. Since its inception, the More MARTA program has been criticized for slow progress, delays, and reversals on executing its list of expansion projects.