Ĭonstruction began on MARTA's heavy rail system in 1975, with the first rail service commencing on June 30, 1979. Also in 1971, the agency agreed to purchase the existing, bus-only Atlanta Transit Company the sale of the company closed on February 17, 1972, giving the agency control over all public transit in the immediate Atlanta area. In November 2014, however, Clayton County voters passed a 1% sales tax to join the MARTA system, reversing its 1971 decision. Gwinnett County remains outside of the MARTA system. In the same year, four of the five metropolitan area counties (Clayton, DeKalb, Fulton, and Gwinnett) and the City of Atlanta passed a referendum authorizing participation in the system, but the referendum failed in Cobb.Īlthough a 1968 referendum to actually fund MARTA failed, in 1971, voters in Fulton and DeKalb counties successfully passed a 1% sales tax increase to pay for MARTA operations, while Clayton and Gwinnett counties overwhelmingly rejected the tax in the referendum. MARTA was formed by an act of the Georgia General Assembly in 1965. These were the five original counties in the Atlanta metropolitan area, and to this day are the five largest counties in the region and state. MARTA was originally proposed as a rapid transit agency for DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Gwinnett, and Cobb counties. Map of the initial plan of the MARTA system from 1976 In 2021, the entire system (bus and rail) had 50,288,800 rides, or about 162,200 per weekday in the first quarter of 2022. MARTA also operates Mobility, a separate paratransit service for disabled customers. 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 Gwinnett Transit buses. MARTA's rapid transit system is the eighth-largest rapid transit system in the United States by ridership. 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 train stations. The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority ( MARTA, / ˈ m ɑːr t ə/) is the principal public transport operator in the Atlanta metropolitan area. These make it easy for office workers and AI students to reach their destinations on foot.February 17, 1972 50 years ago ( ) (buses)Ĥ ft 8 + 1⁄ 2 in ( 1,435 mm) standard gauge However, there are two other access points for pedestrians only, and they are located on the north end of the station on the Abernathy Rd side.
There are two ways to access the parking deck: from Perimeter Center W or from the back side via the Perimeter Pointe shopping center. The main entrance is on the northeast corner where the 1,000-car parking deck looms above ground. This is completely underground, and many locals are not aware of the beautiful tiled cavern nestled beneath Perimeter Center West. The Sandy Springs Station was opened in 2000, at the same time as North Springs Station located one stop to the north. Nearby employers include AirWatch, Arby's Corporate Offices, COX Communications, and Mercedes-Benz USA. Some of the larger retail includes Costco and Home Depot. It is surrounded by shopping, office towers and residential townhouses and apartment homes.Ĭommuters include office workers, students from Troy University and the Atlanta Art Institute, and a variety of retail employees.
The Sandy Springs station sits beneath a busy intersection where Abernathy Road becomes Perimeter Center West at Mount Vernon Hwy. Join MARTA's Sylvia Crisp from Risk Management as she takes us on a tour of MARTA's Sandy Springs station.
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