Planners explore the future of Atlanta's streetcar

ATLANTA - It is a big transportation initiative that has a small footprint.

It is the streetcar on surface rail ties in Downtown Atlanta. 

Hundreds of millions in public funds have been invested but only 4,000 patrons take advantage and ride each week. 

"It is a tourist route," said Lawrence Graham, the MARTA superintendent for rail. 

When locals find out about it, such as what happened on the Saturday SEC Championship game, many chose to spend a buck for the trip over to Mercedes-Benz Stadium. 

Graham was asked if the streetcar could use a marketing boost. "Probably so," he said, "especially to those Georgia State students who are right next door." 

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. 

Most of those funds will go toward expanding the streetcar to the east side -- the BeltLine out to the Ponce City Market. 

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