ATLANTA — MARTA passengers say Tuesday was a smoother day for navigating the Atlanta airport's rail station's closure while the station undergoes renovations.
Linda Barry stepped off a MARTA shuttle Tuesday and walked toward her new job at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. She will rely on MARTA to get her to and from work. She would normally get off at the airport station, but she will now have to take a shuttle from the College Park station due to the renovations.
In the wake of the station closure, MARTA has shuttles running back and forth from the College Park station to the lower level of the North Terminal at the airport. The move is impacting around 11,000 passengers, according to a MARTA spokesperson.
"My job will be overnight, but based on getting here on time, I just have to make sure I’m on the shuttle at a specific time," Barry said.
Orange signs could be spotted throughout the airport, at the College Park station, and on shuttles to help get passengers where they need to go. MARTA is also using more staff from its airport station as guides to make the process smoother for people like David and Jacqueline Ukrop.
“We’re from Nova, Michigan, outside of Detroit," Jacqueline said. "We took an Uber from Doraville to my mom in Duluth, and then on the way back, we had to take the bus from College Park. There were so many people helping us. There were two or three people to answer each question that we had.”
MARTA said that on Day 1 of the project, one shuttle broke down, and another bus company parked in one of MARTA's two allotted spots, which caused some delays.
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On Day 2, MARTA said there were virtually no wait lines.
Barry said she can't afford to waste too much time getting to work. She said she felt hopeful that the shuttle system would work for her and others needing to get to and from the airport.
"It was very easy," Barry said. "MARTA people and police are very nice. Everyone directed people who got off at College Park to go up the steps, go to your right and find the shuttle.”
MARTA said shuttles run about once every 12 minutes max. The transit authority suggests allowing 30 extra minutes to get to the airport. It also recommends downloading their Breeze Mobile 2.0 app to speed up payment. Lastly, don't forget any luggage.
MARTA added there were problems with people getting off the shuttle and not picking up their bags. Those who had that experience were eventually reunited with their luggage, according to MARTA.
The airport station will remain closed for renovations through May 19.