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Debate continues on streetcar expansion
The recent greenlit expansion of the Atlanta Streetcar hasn’t ended the debate on if the planned new route should actually move forward. How both sides are trying to get their way.
ATLANTA - It’s a streetcar, but not all desire it. The debate continues on the Atlanta Streetcar expansion.
Currently, the streetcar travels around Downtown Atlanta, but a recent greenlit proposal would have it travel along the Atlanta BeltLine towards Midtown Atlanta.
Some say it will connect the city, while others believe it will be a distraction and headache.
"There’s so many things that worry me about it," Katharaine Chestnut said.
Katharine Chestnut owns a business on the BeltLine, and she worries about a proposed streetcar expansion.
"It’s not functional. People are not riding it and that’s a big thing. They want to go and spend $250 million to go two miles," Chestnut said.
"We think people will want more of it. This has been the city’s plan for a long time and we are excited the city is moving forward," Matthew Rao said.
On the other side is Matthew Rao, who is the chair for BeltLine Rail Now, an organization that champions the expansion.
The streetcar currently travels around Downtown Atlanta.
The approved proposal would have the streetcar’s route continue down Edgewood Avenue and wind through the Old Fourth Ward. Then it would meet up with the BeltLine near Krog Street Market and continue to Ponce City Market.
"If they wanted to run that in front of my house, you think I wouldn’t be out there picketing? Oh, hell yes, I would. No way," Chestnut said.
Chestnut worries about the high cost and the construction’s impact on local businesses.
"It will be an emblem and a real accomplishment for the city of Atlanta, and for those who visit here," Rao said.
Rao believes it will be a great connecting factor for different parts of the city and tourism. The streetcar would venture past historical landmarks including Martin Luther King’s birth home.
"The transit component of the BeltLine, although it wasn’t built first, has always been the reason for the trail and the green way," Rao said.
Although on different sides, there’s one thing both can agree on, and that’s coming together to make the plan acceptable for all.
"We are all pro-transit. We are all pro-park. We are all looking to do the best for our city. Remember that. We are neighbors." Chestnut said.
What is the Atlanta Streetcar's history?
Atlanta utilized federal dollars to get the streetcar started. There is an additional $225 million that has been committed through a sales tax that everyone pays when they make purchases inside the city limits.
The streetcar began service in Dec. 2014, the first of its kind in 65 years in the city. It served a 2.7-mile loop around Downtown Atlanta.
In 2015, a report released by the Atlanta BeltLine, the Atlanta Streetcar, Inc., and Invest Atlanta identified the BeltLine and Peachtree Road as two of the possible corridors of expansion.
MARTA took over the Atlanta Streetcar service from the city of Atlanta on July 1, 2018, as part of its $2.6 billion expansion.
Late last year, all the streetcars were removed following a safety inspection and shipped to a Siemens manufacturing facility in Colorado and the Utah Transit Authority in Salt Lake City. The total cost of replacing the wheels was around $400,000.