MARTA to take over operations of Atlanta Streetcar

ATLANTA (AP) - Mayor Kasim Reed says MARTA will take over operations of Atlanta Streetcar.

Reed tells WXIA-TV that the streetcar system is being absorbed into the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority as part of a $2.6 billion expansion. Reed says he hopes the streetcar will eventually reach to the Beltline.

Reed said Tuesday that there’s no timetable for when the streetcar’s routes will expand. Currently, it runs on a 2.7 mile route that includes Centennial Olympic Park and the King Center.

He says he also hopes the streetcar will begin offering free rides again sometime in the future.

The streetcar came under fire in 2015 after the Georgia Department of Transportation cited 66 safety concerns or problems in an audit. GDOT says the city has since fixed all of those problems.

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Information from: WXIA-TV, https://www.11alive.com/