MARTA to replace all trains, seeks rider input

ATLANTA - Some of the trains have carried passengers for more than four decades, but the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority will retire its entire fleet in the coming years.

MARTA has launched a campaign called "Your Ride You Decide" to collect feedback from riders as they choose what features the new rail cars should include.

"This is a once in a 40-year opportunity," said MARTA CEO Jeffrey Parker. "It's simple things like things that people wouldn't put a whole lot of thought into until you ride that car. It's about how a handlebar is designed, you know, a grab handle is designed and how that works for someone who is taller like me or shorter like one of my children."

According to MARTA, they have only purchased trains three times in their existence--1979, 1985, and 2003.

In 2019 the MARTA Board of Directors approved a $646 million agreement with Stadler Rail to buy 254 new rail cars between 2023 and 2028. A pilot car is scheduled to be completed and delivered in 2022.

Those interested in providing feedback can log on to MARTA's "Your Ride You Decide" page and submit comments under seven different categories: ADA/accessibility, bicycle, and stroller areas, grab bars/handholds, luggage areas, maps, and digital displays, seating configuration, and seat design.

MARTA will accept input on the interior features through May 31 and will open a similar public comment period for the exteriors later this summer.

"We're buying a railcar that's going to last somewhere between 30 and 40 years. So, we've also got to look towards the future. So, you know, how will people be using bicycles and other mobility devices in 20 years? It's probably very different than it is today. So, we've got to think about that as well," Parker explained. 

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