ATLANTA — After asking the public for feedback, Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority has unveiled its new railcar design Wednesday during its State of MARTA 2022 event.
The annual event was held virtually this year due to a recent surge in COVID cases. MARTA's General Manager and CEO Jeffrey Parker shared MARTA's efforts to keep providing essential transit services during the pandemic. Parker also highlighted several projects that have been designated to improve the customer's experience including choosing a new design for 254 of its new railcars.
After a series of public outreach and engagement efforts, MARTA said customers chose comfort and technology for the inside, and a minimalistic design for the outside of the railcars.
The inside of the railcars will also have more seating options, a passageway for riders to move between cars, spacious luggage and bicycles areas, charging stations and a digital system for maps and service information.
As for the outside design, the railcars will feature a "minimalist" design with the color of the rail line seen on the front of the train: red, gold, green or blue so that riders know when their train is approaching.
The new trains are part of MARTA's first bus rapid transit (BRT) along Hank Aaron Drive through Summerhill. There will also be high-capacity transit along Campbellton Corridor and in Clayton County. It's also part of station rehabilitation projects at the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, Indian Creek and Bankhead rail stations.
“I see transit as a combination of lines and dots, with the lines being our buses and trains and the dots being the communities we connect and serve,” Parker said. “This next year will be one of enhancing the dots and expanding the lines, reimagining what transit can and should be for the metro Atlanta region as it continues to grow.”
MARTA said the new railcars will arrive in metro Atlanta in 2023.