Council Backs 22-Mile Beltline Light Rail, Sets Funding Deadline

Atlanta City Council unanimously approved a resolution September 21 supporting light rail along the full 22-mile Atlanta Beltline. The resolution directs Mayor Andre Dickens, MARTA, and Atlanta Beltline Inc. to produce a funding plan by January 2027. Atlanta Beltline Inc. led the transit study behind the plan, with Kimley-Horn as engineering consultant.

Projected capital cost is roughly $3.5 billion in 2025 dollars, including $270 million for 42 light-rail vehicles and $210 million for support facilities. The estimate excludes four proposed MARTA infill stations. Three routes are proposed: the Beltline Loop, Northern Loop, and Southern Loop. Service would run 6:00 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. with 20-minute headways per route and 10-minute platform headways.

The plan recommends 13 stations in the southwest and southeast quadrants, including Donald Lee Hollowell Pkwy., Martin Luther King Jr. Dr., Murphy Ave., Metropolitan/Pittsburgh Yards, and Glenwood Ave. The CSX alignment is the locally preferred alternative for the northwest quadrant, with direct service to Piedmont Hospital. The study projects 4.2 million annual riders, about 40 percent transit-dependent and 21 percent new transit trips.

Funding remains the open question. ABI President and CEO Clyde Higgs told the Council's Community Development Committee that extending the Beltline TAD for 25 to 30 years is the only option that raises enough for rail. The Beltline TAD was left out when the Council extended six of eight TADs in June; it expires at the end of 2030.

The transit service plan is 10 to 20 percent designed. A construction timeline and completion date will follow the January 2027 funding plan.