Rain or Shine: How the Streetcar East Extension Will Empower GSU Students
— Rail Writer Nick Stuber
There are more than 45,000 GSU students and more than 5,000 dorms on “campus” with direct street access to the Streetcar. With rental student housing added that’s a population of 7,500 to 10,000.
Image: Beltline Rail Now, 2025 Ian Burr via AI.
For most of my life, I have grown up in and near Buckhead, living a fairly car-dependent lifestyle. However, it wasn’t until I moved downtown onto GSU’s campus that I realized how much I could enjoy living car-free. As somebody who lives along the current streetcar alignment, I was always disappointed with its limited utility. I would use it when it was rainy and I needed to get to class!
As a longtime transit advocate, I have always supported the Streetcar East Extension (SCE). However, it wasn’t until I got my own scooter (after months of saving up for one) that I fully realized just how close the Beltline really is to the GSU campus. I now do the majority of my shopping at grocery stores along the Beltline on the commute home from my job. The Beltline is a breeze to get to and navigate via scooter or bike, but it’s a hassle to walk to! Many of my neighbors and colleagues have never even been to the Beltline despite its being only a mile away from our dorms! Most of us on-campus students don’t have cars and depend on MARTA to navigate the city. Even though the trail is only a mile away, it feels frustratingly out of reach, especially when it rains outside. There have been plenty of days when I wanted to pick up groceries at Kroger, but if it was raining, it simply was not an option. With the SCE, the Beltline would become much more accessible to myself and to THOUSANDS of other GSU students.
The Streetcar East Extension has 1.4 miles of Beltline rail and 3 stops on the Beltline. It’s in final design but paused. Service is possible in 2028. Image: MARTA
One of the most common struggles felt by many on-campus students at GSU is the difficulty of finding jobs or social spaces outside of campus where we can hang out. One of my favorite spots is a bar that’s in Old Fourth Ward, and I love going there with my friends. Those of us with scooters are able to get there quite easily, but for my friends without them, their only options are either renting a Lime scooter or calling an Uber, both options costing almost as much as the bar tab itself! I believe that the SCE would not only improve accessibility for Atlanta’s most densely populated communities both physically and monetarily, but it would foster immense economic growth as well! By facilitating easier access for GSU students to commercial and recreational hubs like Ponce City Market, Krog Street Market, and the Beltline in general, the extension would not only enhance our student experience but also provide much-needed reliable transportation for the downtown population, many of whom do not possess a car! Since currently, the majority of people visiting the Beltline drive and park near the trail, a reliable transportation alternative connecting the Beltline to downtown would not only help GSU students, but it would also benefit the Beltline and its surrounding businesses by introducing the GSU student population as both consumers and as a labor market!
Nick is a Junior Honors Finance student living on campus at Georgia State University aspiring to be a Financial Engineer. He enjoys working out, reading, and doing concert photography in his free time.
