Atlanta’s BeltLine remains a hotbed for impassioned residents as groups disagree over the future of the 22-mile path that loops over the city – and its future. Factions have split over the development of a light rail that would line the corridor and move alongside pedestrians and cyclists.
Supporters say the rail plan is faithful to the original design of the BeltLine as a transit corridor, and opponents push against the idea of a streetcar transforming the already crowded walking path.
Different advocacy groups are keeping up the work to push their respective sides, though the fate of the rail set to begin construction in 2025 is unclear.
BeltLine Rail Now! is the all-volunteer movement in support of the streetcar extension. On July 10, it kicked off a potential series of virtual panels discussing the details of the project.
The Zoom webinar moderated by BeltLine Rail Now Board member Nathan Clubb featured multimodal transportation data engineer Phil Veaseley, Atlanta disability advocate and transit user Carden Wyckoff and co-principal of Urban Oasis Development Joel Dixon.
The three are outspoken advocates for the Atlanta Streetcar East Extension, the first step in bringing 22-miles of light rail to the BeltLine corridor. It’s set to start construction in 2025 and finish off in 2028.
But since Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens backed down from BeltLine rail and proposed alternatives like “autonomous pods” the project has been at a crossroads. Still, supporters remain steadfast in their reasons for the construction project –particularly as Atlanta sees major heat waves and frequent rain.
“It would come in handy on some of these very hot summer days for getting to work, getting to the grocery store, to apartments, to Piedmont Park,” engineer and bike commuter Phil Veaseley said. “If I get caught in a storm like yesterday and I’m trying to get home from work, it would just be a game changer for being another option to get around.
Developer Joel Dixon said the high temperatures are unsafe and it would make sense to have another option for transit – among other reasons. The Atlanta native said the streetcar extension will be a faster transit option and available for commuters, tourists and casual travelers.
“If I’m out in historic Adair Park, at Murphy Crossing, and I know that I still want to take some family members over to Ponce City Market or over to The Beacon in Grant Park having the transit option would just make that more accessible, safer and also ensure that everybody can be included in it,” Dixon said.
Dixon sees BeltLine Rail through a long-term lens. Urban Oasis Development, where Dixon is co-principal, was selected as the official developer for a mixed-use project at Murphy Crossing to create a transit-centered community of affordable housing and commercial space.
The development will transform a 20-acre site adjacent to the BeltLine’s Westside Trail. There will also be a new MARTA station at the site to connect the heavy rail to the BeltLine for the first time.
Murphy Crossing will have limited parking, too, which Dixon sees as “complementary” to creating a transit-forward city. Dixon said he is not anti-vehicle, but he believes projects like this will free people from having to structure their finances around high vehicle costs.
“I want to say the overlap of being able to create a truly enabling affordable housing and inclusive housing is to create the type of structure around transit and all forms of multi mobility,” Dixon said.
But he stressed multi-mobility will only work with a “both and” approach. Without BeltLine rail, he said people won’t use the existing MARTA stations to get around the loop.
Equitability and BeltLine Rail
Some opposed to the streetcar extension have criticized the equitability of putting rail in a wealthy area first. They instead propose bus transit and stations focused on poorer neighborhoods without mobility, like South Atlanta and Bowen Homes.
The planned path would run nearly a mile down Edgewood Avenue to connect to the Eastside Trail, where it will continue all the way to Ponce City Market.
“So when we look at the Eastside, I know at the surface it may seem like ‘Why are why are we starting with the rich part, why are we starting with the built out part?’” Veaseley said. “But when you look at the amount of restaurants and the amount of service industry jobs, those people rely very heavily on transit.”
Veaseley said the extension will be helpful for service workers – and it will “unlock affordability” for many, particularly those who live car-free lifestyles due to economic constraints.
But Dixon emphasized equitability can only happen if BeltLine Rail is built out completely. He pushed back against concerns about starting with the Eastside because its a “pragmatic approach.” The developer also said people who voted for light rail in Southwest Atlanta did so for the future promise of transit that was once in the original BeltLine designs.
“That’s the power, right, of the actual BeltLine creation itself is that it was always about a loop, not about any one node, it was about connecting 22 miles and 45 neighborhoods,” Dixon said.
He said that the rail will add more neighborhoods over time, just like the walkable trail has done for the past several years.
To other advocates like Carden Wyckoff, the rail itself will create the equitability she needs. She relies exclusively on MARTA and her powered wheelchair to get around the city – cars aren’t an option. Other alternatives like “micro-mobility” via e-bikes are a no-go, too.
Wyckoff said rideshare services like Uber have been deregulated in the state and don’t offer accessible options, while buying a wheelchair-friendly car is cost-prohibitive for many.
Her main concern is equitable, accessible transit. Some proposed alternatives like bus paths aren’t her preference, either. She explained wheelchairs have to be strapped down in bus transit, while slow rail would free up that requirement.
“I genuinely do feel that light rail is the best option for this, and you know, it’s been studied multiple times over the last couple of decades,” Wyckoff said.
BeltLine Rail supporters also addressed the opposition. Veaseley boiled it down to “fear of change,” as well as privileged community members being afraid of the “people rail will bring.”
Others like Dixon took a more charitable approach. He said plenty of people, including him, are passionate about the city’s beloved BeltLine.
“People because of that want to preserve it based on their own personal prerogatives,” Dixon said. “But public realms are not the place for me to impose my own personal prerogative.”
While the project is set for 2025 construction, the mayor’s public comments have left some unsure if rail is set in stone. In the meantime, BeltLine Rail Now members and supporters are trying to keep up momentum around construction.
“It’s important to get the first segment going in order to change the focus to the next places on the loop that can happen,” BeltLine Rail Now co-chair Matthew Rao said.
What are the arguments of the opponents? Would like to see those as well.
Thank you for asking, Anne! As the communications chair for Better Atlanta Transit, I can answer that question? 😉
We think the Beltline (and the city generally) should lean into its natural strength as a micromobility corridor and that the money saved can go toward more transit projects, such as the Hollowell Pkwy/North Ave. BRT that the mayor proposed. BRT along established corridors (mainly roads) will actually serve and strengthen struggling neighborhoods where fewer people have cars. Our arguments are laid out quite clearly at https://betteratlantatransit.org/save-the-beltline, where we also address a lot misinformation that’s taken hold on the streetcar project.
Micromobility (e.g. bikes, e-bikes, scooters, pedestrians, wheelchairs) has has been a major part of the Beltline’s success. The ideal next step in the Beltline’s evolution would be to build a well-landscaped foot trail (think NYC’s High Line) through the meadows and trees that currently reside on the right of way. This will be safer for pedestrians and will allow bikes, scooters, etc. to travel unimpeded on the existing trail — perhaps slightly widened. There would also be plenty of room for a running track if a streetcar isn’t crammed into the often-narrow ROW.
We also have spent a lot of time addressing misinformation about the Beltline streetcar.
For example, there isn’t a realistic funding plan for the streetcar beyond the 1.3 mile stretch through well-to-do neighborhoods currently being discussed. More MARTA funds are more than spoken for; there’s unlikely to be an additional transit tax before the More MARTA tax expires in the 2040s; and the Beltline streetcar doesn’t qualify for federal matching funds because it falls short on ridership and equity criteria. That means that unlike with other transit projects, local residents must foot the entire bill.
So when people say “just you wait, it’ll be an equity project when the streetcar gets around to west side,” they’re wish-casting, not talking about the real world. That means it will be an elitist project today, tomorrow and 10 years from now.
And here’s the thing: If the current streetcar extension is completed, it’s projected to have fewer riders than the number of people who currently walk, bike, etc. on the Beltline today!
We support transit TO the Beltline, which would get all those Beltline service workers mentioned in the article (along with tens of thousands of non-Beltline workers) to their jobs. Transit TO the Beltline would do a lot more than the Beltline streetcar to cut down on the demand for parking around the Beltline.
There’s so much more to say. I can’t put it all here, but it’s really fascinating. Seriously, go to the site linked above. It puts it all together in a factual way.
Dear Mr. Mayor:
I write to you with an adamant request for you to stop blocking the scheduled implementation of the first section of the Beltline transit. You note that more ‘studies’ are required? ABI and MARTA have studied numerous options for Beltline transit modes for at least twenty years. With the large amount of public engagement conducted, the message from the citizens of Atlanta was clear. They want the attractive, quiet and accessible tram line that is scheduled to start construction next year.
Consider the following points:
1. The City is obligated to follow through with the planned provision of a real transit system on the Beltline (not BRT to the Beltline or other inferior option). The City has this obligation because the new developments (billions of dollars worth) along the Beltline were awarded development density increases based specifically on the provision of the planned Beltline mass public transit line. The City made a contract with the citizens of Atlanta, to provide real transit in order to relieve the increased traffic that would come with that increased development. Are you going to break that contract with your constituents?
2. Are you going to put the City at risk of ADA lawsuits by supporting mobility options that are blatantly non-accessible, with no ADA accessible options?
3. ABI used a very democratic and inclusive process to determine the best options for mobility on the Beltline. It appears that you are now engaged in a very undemocratic and exclusive process with a small group of constituents who are trying to impose their viewpoint against Beltline rail. Please look back at the records of the public engagement sessions in which the citizens asked for mass transit and then publicly restate the support for the Beltline rail that you stated during your campaign.
4. You will not have a greater opportunity than this moment to positively impact the future of Atlanta. This first Beltline transit phase will kick off a transit loop that will provide access for and connect Atlantans more significantly, effectively and efficiently than any other option. The Beltline trolley line is city-building infrastructure that is about the future of Atlanta as a livable place. It’s for the city’s children, grandchildren and beyond.
Are you going to ignore those who voted for you when you supported Beltline rail during your first campaign? Are you now going to try to influence decisions based on the undemocratic process in which you’re engaged?
Please listen to your constituents. They’re telling you to stop blocking the progress on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for city building.
This group of rail lobbyists is stuck to a 1999 plan and unwilling to adapt to modern times where e-bikes, scooters, micromobility can provide last-mile transit on the Beltline. We don’t need to bankrupt MARTA and taxpayers to provide a circular grass track multi-billion dollar project expanding a broken streetcar – we need to follow through on the mayor’s plan to provide infill stations to the Beltline at key points, and Bus Rapid Transit across the city. The panel continues repeat the basic arguments and marketing propaganda accusing those against the streetcar as anti-transit. In reality, “advocating” for a useless mile segment on the most affluent section of the Beltline, is stealing much needed funds from a comprehensive transit plan to help the entire city.
Up and at em trolling for BAT again, eh Matt?
We can have a discussion but to call everyone against this idea a troll is disingenuous. There are actually legitimate concerns from community leaders and experts in policy/transit that you and your friends continue to ignore, resorting to name calling or whatever.
Keep pounding the same drum. That’s the modus operandi of the pro-streetcar crowd. “It was part of the original plan” is their mantra. In other words, let’s ignore (1) all the developments that have occurred along the Beltline in the last few decades; (2) the newer transit options that are more flexible and affordable; (3) Mayor Dickens’ transit plans that obviate the need for a streetcar; and (4) the irreversible damage that a streetcar would inflict on residential and business properties and on the environment. That’s a lot of ignoring, and is beginning to sound ignorant.
What’s ignorant is implying that a streetcar would inflict “irreversible damage” on residences, businesses and the environment. Ignorant of how things work in cities around the world with built out light rail systems, and ignorant of the many environmental benefits of light rail and the transit-supportive development it allows.
But yes, you are correct, when someone is trying to disrupt a decades-long plan and take away a planned transit line from their neighbors, it is fair for those neighbors to point to “original plans”. The onus is on the disruptors to justify themselves with robust arguments, and I haven’t seen that happen yet.
Equitability can only happen if Beltline Rail is built: The most abused phrase used by rail advocates. Makes those who happen to think time has passed the streetcar must have something against poor &/or disabled folks.
Like the Bill Clinton phrase “It’s the economy, stupid”: It costs taxpayers close to $45.00 per passenger mile for the current streetcar. Rail price was under 30M per mile when the 1st proposals were published – today it’s about 100+M.
Progress – The mayor got out a calculator & said – an “Autonomous Shuttle” could cost taxpayers 70% less than rail? Benefits include, they can serve the same purpose – easy to expand or contract based on actual need & takes 50% less space of Beltline trail. Prety smart thinking to explore the idea.
I love the idea of rational transportation on the Beltline – but as a taxpayer I simply think time has passed for Rail & it’s time to embrace new technology.
There is nothing dated about rail. There have been three studies done on the best type of mode and all confirm that’s rail. This is an abandoned rail corridor that cannot and should not be paved to accommodate autonomous pods, whatever they are. Hard to know since they don’t exist anywhere but Disneyland. They certainly don’t work and have never worked in Peacthree Corners where I lived for a year half a mile from their little test bed. It’s ludicrous to oppose rail in a city soon to be 6 million. I love BRN’s slogan We paid the tax now lay the tracks. Mayor Dickens: do this!
The mayor’s infill station plan, while laudable, is fantasy. No American city has completed four infill stations. The last infill station to come online in this country, Potomac Yards (D C. area) in 2023, took 14 years to build and came in at 300MM. It’s no accident the mayor’s office hasn’t rolled out design around the infill stations or detailed how it would be paid for. Contrastly, a funding source is in place for Streetcar East (More MARTA), a shovel ready project that’s ready to go. Autonomous vehicles are unproven. The Beep system was down for long stretches in Cobb County by Truist Park and it simply didn’t work in Peachtree Corners. Population projections in metro Atlanta call for the metro area taking on the city of Charlotte (400,000) over the next decade. The only way to make that work for our infrastructure is to grow the city core. That means a mass transit solution that can move thousands of people a day, complementing MARTA Light rail. Not scooters. Not unproven AV. The naysayers said the BeltLine’s recreational trail wouldn’t work. Not only will SCE be successful but it will expedite the building of light rail around the full loop.
Similar to how 285 allows people to bypass the need to come into the center to change direction while connecting the areas between 20 and 75/85, the beltline rail does the same with connecting the MARTA trains to the neighborhoods inside the city while eliminating everyone having to go to 5 points to change trains. Just getting people to 285 isn’t enough – they need to continue their journey. The beltline was not intended to be about recreation. It is about transit. About moving people around atlanta affordably – getting cars off the road, reducing emissions, and having better ways to get from place to place. E-bikes, scooters, skateboards are great and fun but they are not transit. They are not how a mom drops her kids off at daycare on her way to work. They are not how commuters get to and from work everyday. They are not how someone brings groceries home. They are not how a group of friends gets home late at night after a night out. We need light rail seamlessly connected to existing MARTA. This is the future of Atlanta. We can invest now and prepare ourselves or freak out in 10 years when gridlock and frustration finally forces something to be done.
From the AJC, 7/11/24: Atlanta’s population increased 2.1% in the year to April ’24. Business permits “roughly tripled”[!] in the 24 months to December ’23. It’s nobody’s fault that Atlanta’s hub-and-spoke style street layout became terminally dysfunctional as the automobile took over. But here we are! “I love driving in traffic on the Downtown Connector,” said nobody, ever. We need alternatives ASAP! Oh, and by the way, steel wheels rolling on steel rails is, still, BY FAR the most energy-efficient rolling stock ever invented.
Man, the transit proponents are ignorant. The costs just don’t make sense. Save money and instead just hand out cars to anyone interested in riding the streetcar, or just buy them an Uber ride every time. Ridiculous how costly this idea is. Also ridiculous that the proponents aren’t honest enough to admit this.