Location / Name:
Atlanta GA, Atlanta is in parts of FIVE counties: Fulton, DeKalb, Cobb,
Gwinnett, and Clayton (while NYC is made up of 5 counties :-)
What's Here:
MARTA Metro subway system
Atlanta Streetcar system
Norfolk Southern
CSX
Data:
GPS Coordinates: as needed
Phone A/C:
ZIP:
Access by train/transit:
Amtrak
MARTA Metro
Atlanta Streetcar
Geography:
Fairly Hilly
The Scoop:
MARTA itself was "formed" on February 17th, 1972, with bus
service only, having bought out the Atlanta Transit Company.
MARTA began it's heavy rail operation on June 30th, 1979. Construction of the system began in 1975.
The system has approximately 47.6 miles (76.6km) of track, with 38 stations. All
stations are in DeKalb and Fulton counties, except for the
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Airport station which
is in Clayton County.
Like many other heavy rail systems, the MARTA system is a combination of elevated,
underground, and surface running. The deepest underground station is the
Peachtree Center Station, located 120 feet
(36 meters) underground. An interesting note about the Peachtree station is
that the designers decided to leave the exposed rock walls "au natural"
as a tribute to the hard work it took to dig and blast through the hard rock
prevalent in the area.
The system has 4 lines: Red (North-South), Blue (East-West), Gold (Northeast-South),
and Green (Proctor Creek), and the Five Points station
is the only one common to them all. MARTA switched over to a color based ID scheme
in October of 2009, as opposed to calling them -EAST- and -WEST-.
Note: the Yellow line was renamed to the Gold line in 2010.
Trains run under ATC, Automatic
Train Control, with operators being used to make announcements,
operate doors, and run the trains in the event of an emergency or ATC failure,
like many other heavy rail systems (Baltimore and DC come to mind).
The system has three service facilities / yards as noted on MY map.
MARTA has it's own 300 strong police department, and they can arrest you.
Photography is
permitted on the property if you get permission in advance, as I've noted below.
Their website also states that no pictures of the system shall be used anywhere,
including the internet..... one policy which is very difficult to control
considering freedom of the press and lack of control over what is photographed
from public property. Side Note: Many transit systems have a similar NO
PHOTOGRAPHY policy on their property.... like Boston.... Baltimore does not
however (altho you can be asked why you're taking pictures by any employee).
New York allows photography too if you get permission, but you have to go to
Brooklyn to their HQ for that little piece of paper.
Acknowledgements:
Google Maps
Bing Maps
MARTA's Website numerous pages
Wikipedia
r/transit
Marta use two, three, and four aspect signals,
all of which have been converted to LED's.
The signals have 5 aspects:
Flashing green, steady green, yellow, red, and lunar white:
:
Proceed with cab signals over switch normal or into normal traffic direction.
STEADY GREEN: Proceed with cab signals over switch reversed.
YELLOW: Proceed to next signal, preparing to stop.
RED: Stop
LUNAR WHITE:
Proceed being prepared to stop due to train ahead or other obstruction.
Two Aspect signals are red and green.
Three aspect signals come in two varieties:
Red/yellow/green used on mainline.
Red/lunar white/yellow is used in yards.
Four aspect signals are red/lunar white/yellow/green
Notice that Marta does not use the standard railroad "red on bottom" arrangement.
2 Color Signals
2 color signals protecting the crossover at Avondale on the east side of the station.
3 Color Signals
I could use additional pictures of the 3 color signals used in the yard if anyone cares to send some my way!
4 Color Signals
If anyone has some good shots of the four color signals, it would be appreciated if you could send them along.....
Dwell Signals
Marta uses the above signal, which it calls aDWELL SIGNAL, to inform the operator of the train how long
he has to keep the doors open. These signals remain steady for approximately 15 seconds, indicating
the open period for the doors, and then it flashes for 5 seconds, after which the operator is supposed to
depart the station. The signal is otherwise dark until the train comes to a stop.
A shot from the pedestrian overpass at the Avondale station, looking towards the yard.
Westbound train at Avondale.
Eastbound train at Avondale.
Just leaving Avondale.
A motorcycle cop at Avondale. They will
come after you if seen taking pictures on the property, and operators are
instructed to report photographers - but this was 20 years ago, so things
may have changed. There is an office complex at the
Avondale yard (off Ponce de Leon Ave.), where you can supposedly go in and
request permission to take pictures. I don't know how much of a hassle
they will give you. If you have the time and are there during the day, I
would recommend it, otherwise you will be hassled as I was. I'm not sure
if the other two yards have the same office available to check-in at.
Route selector box on the eastbound track at Avondale.
A call box next to an eastbound signal at Avondale.
A couple shots of the mechanical trip stops used at the entrance to the yard at Avondale.
The sensor on the truck is "behind" the 750VDC pick-up shoe (about 10ft from the
front of the car), so the train can advance "beyond" the signal a fair bit
before the train is stopped - on New York subway cars, the sensor is placed
under the front of the car.
This is a "marker coil", and is used to tell the train where to stop for the station.
These two pictures depict impedance bonds used by the ATP system to get the control
signals "into" to the rails, The Baltimore Light Rail System now has the
same "stuff" cluttering up the R-O-W.
Seems like all heavy rail systems have blue lights like this, anyone know what Marta uses them to signify?
A well worn "Danger - High Voltage" sticker of the 3rd rail cover.
A few shots of electrical boxes and the conduit running on the ground.
These are called "potheads" - they are just covers for splices in the DC traction power feed.
A busy photo -- signal base, ladder and bracket, junction box, drain, 3rd rail, and air hose.
A couple of shots of the 3rd track at the south end of the Lindbergh platform, where I'm guessing the
center track goes into the yard (didn't have time to ride south to find out).
A nice shot off the east side platform at Avondale, showing the yard tower, and the two yard flyovers.
Starting in early 2026, MARTA is in the process of introducing Stadler’s new, state-of-the-art
CQ400 railcars to its fleet. The new cars are designed to improve customer experience, safety,
and accessibility. The CQ400s will replace the existing MARTA fleet in phases, making the new
railcars more reliable, and easier to maintain than the existing trains, some of which date back to 1979.
The new, sleek railcar design prioritizes safety, accessibility, and comfort through the features below:
Safety:
-- Open gangways for increased operator visibility along the full length of the train,
-- CCTV camera systems that allow operators to monitor passenger behavior, identify unsafe environments, and more easily intervene during emergencies,
-- Microphones strategically placed on trains signaling loud noises to operator,
-- More emergency call buttons,
-- New LED lighting.
Accessibility:
-- Large, ADA compliant doorways and spaces with plenty of room for wheelchairs, strollers, etc.,
-- Updated digital signage and audio equipment inside of trains including bus scheduling information,
-- Improved wayfinding (colored lights on the outside of the train match the color of the train line, paint designating door locations, etc.),
-- Symbols indicating accessible entrances for wheelchairs, strollers, bikes, etc.
Comfort:
-- Upgraded seating that maximizes space and prioritizes comfort, includes forward and inward-facing seating options,
-- Open gangways, which allow passengers (and security) to move freely between the cars,
-- New handrails/grab bars for customers moving about the train,
-- Space for suitcases underneath the seat,
-- Conveniently located phone charging stations,
-- Designated storage areas.
The image above shows a new CQ400 railcar undergoing extreme climate testing inside a facility.
The image above shows a new railcar in the next phase of production at a Stadler Facility.
The peach-colored car has a fresh coat of exterior primer to prepare for additional coats of paint and MARTA branding.
This image shows the CQ400 railcar on the left and another railcar on the right. The CQ400 is
lifted above the ground for structural testing. An orange lift sits in the foreground and other testing equipment sits on the garage floor.
This is an image of the interior gangway of a new railcar. The flexible, gray accordion-like
panels keep the railcars connected, but allow customers to move freely between cars.
The walls are painted a bright yellow.
2 color signals protecting the crossover at Avondale on the east side of the station.
I could use additional pictures of the 3 color signals used in the yard if anyone cares to send some my way!
A SB train coming into the station at Lindbergh.
A bus outside the Lindbergh station.
A shot from the pedestrian overpass at the Avondale station, looking towards the yard.
Westbound train at Avondale.
Eastbound train at Avondale.
Just leaving Avondale.
A motorcycle cop at Avondale. They will
come after you if seen taking pictures on the property, and operators are
instructed to report photographers - but this was 20 years ago, so things
may have changed. There is an office complex at the
Avondale yard (off Ponce de Leon Ave.), where you can supposedly go in and
request permission to take pictures. I don't know how much of a hassle
they will give you. If you have the time and are there during the day, I
would recommend it, otherwise you will be hassled as I was. I'm not sure
if the other two yards have the same office available to check-in at.
Route selector box on the eastbound track at Avondale.
A couple shots of the mechanical trip stops used at the entrance to the yard at Avondale.
This is a "marker coil", and is used to tell the train where to stop for the station.
These two pictures depict impedance bonds used by the ATP system to get the control
signals "into" to the rails, The Baltimore Light Rail System now has the
same "stuff" cluttering up the R-O-W.
Seems like all heavy rail systems have blue lights like this, anyone know what Marta uses them to signify?
A few shots of electrical boxes and the conduit running on the ground.
These are called "potheads" - they are just covers for splices in the DC traction power feed.
A busy photo -- signal base, ladder and bracket, junction box, drain, 3rd rail, and air hose.
Sign outside Avondale.
A few shots of the track and the 3rd rail.
A couple of shots of the 3rd track at the south end of the Lindbergh platform, where I'm guessing the
center track goes into the yard (didn't have time to ride south to find out).
A nice shot off the east side platform at Avondale, showing the yard tower, and the two yard flyovers.
from r/transit via Reddit ~Jan2025