It’s Transit Equity Day! What’s in store for BeltLine rail in 2024?
Dear BRN Supporter,
ABI envisions transit and trail together. Image courtesy ABI
We are optimistic that 2024 will mark the beginning of real progress toward building BeltLine rail as the first section on the Eastside enters final design. 2023 was a pivotal year for the project’s forward momentum (finally). BRN has been working both behind the scenes and publicly to hold elected officials, Atlanta BeltLine, Inc., and MARTA accountable for delivering BeltLine rail, the people’s project and the reason for the BeltLine’s creation. And the project IS moving forward. Compared to a year ago, so many exciting developments have unfolded that, with continued public support and involvement, the project can live up to its promise and become a much better transit project, showcasing beautiful urban design. Grass tracks, new hybrid streetcars, and fixes for the existing downtown streetcar are all on the table and all possible to achieve.
And with that momentum comes the true promise of the BeltLine: unifying 45 historically divided communities and making new access to opportunity and affordable housing possible for thousands of people. As we observe Transit Equity Day, it is important to remember that the BeltLine is an equity-driven transit and trail project, and that its combination of those elements is what makes it unique among transit projects. Without the planned rail transit, the Beltline, with its tremendous up-zoning of density not normally permitted, will gentrify everything in its path without providing equitable access, which is the key component that makes all the rest of its ambitions possible.
MARTA Board meeting, July 2023
We are excited about that vision: equity, sustainability, density, and beauty. It has been a year of steps forward, but as you will see below, we are required to redouble our efforts, remain vocal and visible, and continue educating the public about why the 22-mile loop of light rail, trail, and affordable housing is so important.
With your support and help, we have continued to be advocates for the project. Phase 1 of BeltLine rail will run 1.4 miles from Irwin Street to Ponce de Leon Ave. at Ponce City Market on the Eastside Trail. MARTA’s timeline will mean design work, including community engagement, begins soon and continues through mid-2025, with construction starting in late 2025 and passenger service in 2028.
Looking back, here are some of the highlights of 2023, a year in which our advocacy and education helped keep the project moving forward:
In January, BeltLine rail cleared two important hurdles, with a unanimous green light from the Project Governance Committee (PGC), which is composed of staffers, leaders, and policymakers from MARTA, Atlanta BeltLine Inc., and the City of Atlanta executive branch.
In February, BRN chair Matthew Rao spoke in support of rail on a panel held at historic Haugabrooks in Sweet Auburn, along with public officials and stakeholders of various viewpoints. This pivotal meeting began a season of more public visibility for the project.
In spring 2023, MARTA divided the 19-project More MARTA list into two, advancing BeltLine rail via the 2.2-mile Streetcar East Extension (SCE) as one of the eight Tier I projects that have funding now and are far enough in project development to move forward immediately. We continue to advocate for the prioritization of the ten other projects that were moved to Tier II status, including several sections of BeltLine rail on the south, west, and northeast sections of the BeltLine and new connections to 3 MARTA stations.
In April BRN supporters marched in the annual Inman Park Festival Parade in front of tens of thousands of parade watchers, carrying signs and banners in support of the project.
On July 13, the MARTA Board unanimously approved the Phase 1 final design contract with nationally recognized firm HDR, a leader in light rail and streetcar development. BRN had many members there speaking in support of the “yes” vote that resulted.
The MARTA Board added an important amendment to the contract charging HDR with analyzing and recommending fixes to the existing streetcar, something BRN has long advocated for as an essential component of making the larger project a success. Problems with the existing streetcar continue to generate misunderstandings and opposition to Phase 1 by critics who claim that those problems point to MARTA’s inability to deploy transit and public unwillingness to ride transit.
In September BRN published its NPU Petition Report, which affirmed continued support for BeltLine rail at the neighborhood planning unit level. Twelve NPUs and many of their constituent neighborhoods signed our petition, and many wrote additional letters of support explaining why they want the project in their communities. This 11-month effort involved attendance and advocacy at NPU and neighborhood meetings by BRN volunteers. BRN printed more than 40 copies of the report and delivered them to Mayor Dickens and his senior staff, key leaders in the City Council and ATLDOT, MARTA CEO Collie Greenwood, and all three City of Atlanta MARTA Board members, as well as to Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. (ABI) CEO Clyde Higgs, and senior ABI staff. The report can be found here on our website.
And in October, at the annual State of the BeltLine Breakfast, which this year was entirely dedicated to BeltLine transit, we saw ABI CEO Clyde Higgs use the occasion to discuss the implementation of BeltLine rail, both in his opening remarks and during panel discussions. This moment was significant because this is the first time the high-profile event has made transit its core topic.
Seeing the need to show broad-based neighborhood support as a visible counterweight toward loud anti-rail and NIMBY voices, BRN launched a yard sign campaign in October. These beautiful and simple signs deliver a powerful “we want rail and we want to be connected” message and are now proudly displayed in 150 yards around the city. We plan to continue this campaign in 2024. You can order your yard sign for an $8 donation here.
In November ABI launched a federally funded $3.5 million study to bring the NW, W, SW, and SE sections of BeltLine rail to a level of readiness for project development. This 18-month project will involve stakeholders in all affected neighborhoods and is a crucial first step in applying for federal funding for the construction of the rest of the BeltLine rail segments.
December saw BRN return to StreetsAlive and volunteers engaged the public on what’s next for BeltLine rail. We were located next to the southern entrance to Peachtree Center MARTA, where the downtown streetcar crosses Peachtree St. It was a great location to discuss the connection to BeltLine rail to and from the MARTA system.
Lastly in January 2024, as a result of BRN’s efforts, ABI kicked off a series of presentations about BeltLine rail at neighborhood meetings. We are thrilled because an information gap, coupled with the spreading of deliberate misinformation by rail opponents, must be countered with the truth. ABI and MARTA are the agencies responsible for delivering the project, and the facts must come from them.
Inman Park Parade, April 2023
With the design engineers at HDR already starting work on the final design, it may seem that all is set and nothing more is needed from rail advocates. But this is not the case because rail opponents are using the time to lobby hard for the project’s abandonment by waging a campaign of misinformation to erode public support and the support of leaders. We can’t let that happen, and we can’t let the SCE and its temporary terminus at Ponce de Leon Avenue be the only BeltLine rail project we see this decade. So look for us to remain as active as ever this year to engage you and others in pushing for the best values for BeltLine rail.
BRN will continue working for BeltLine transit and trail together in a greenway. As we learned last year, it took money and time to realize our goals. We could not have done it without you, and we look forward to your support again this year. Our support comes from individuals who make contributions. Please consider a gift of $50, $75, or $100, or as your budget allows, or even better, please consider becoming a recurring monthly donor at the $15 or $25 level.
Please stay engaged with us until BeltLine rail becomes a reality and the entire BeltLine vision moves forward to make Atlanta the city we know it can be.
Matthew Rao and Mayor Andre Dickens at State of the BeltLine Breakfast, October 2023
-Matthew Rao, Chair
BeltLine Rail Now Board of Directors
