The MARTA Rapid A-Line provides a 5-mile roundtrip that connects Downtown Atlanta to the Capitol Gateway, Summerhill, Peoplestown, and the Atlanta Beltline with fast, frequent premium transit service. Connections to MARTA’s heavy rail system are provided at Five Points, Georgia State, and Garnett Stations.   

The project is funded through a Federal TIGER Grant and the More MARTA Atlanta Program in partnership with the City of Atlanta. Planning and design work took place between spring 2019 and summer 2022. The first phase of service began April 18, 2026. Construction will be completed and final revenue service will begin in Fall 2026. 

Project Map

See all the places MARTA is expanding in Atlanta, Clayton, DeKalb, and Fulton counties including faster service, improved transit hubs, and enhanced amenities.  itsmarta.com/current-projects  

What is MARTA Rapid Service? 

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is a high-quality, efficient, and cost-effective public transportation system that uses dedicated bus lanes to avoid traffic congestion. Our BRT system features frequent service, electric buses, and well-designed stations with pre-payment systems to speed up boarding. BRT provides a flexible, low-cost service, that improves air quality and promotes sustainable urban mobility. BRT systems are designed to be fast, reliable, and accessible for all passengers. Continue reading below for more information on what the MARTA Rapid A-Line project has to offer once fully completed.

• 14 new stations on A-Line.
• Level boarding, real-time arrival signage, and off-board fare collection so you can pay before you board. 
• Brand-new 60’ articulated electric buses. 
• Trips every 10 to 12 minutes during peak hours. 
• A-Line total travel time from Five Points Station south to Carver Station will be 12-15 minutes.
• 85% dedicated bus lanes with transit signal priority to bypass traffic. 

General improvements provided by the MARTA Rapid A-Line project.

Rendering of MARTA Rapid A-Line stations

Monthly Station Feature 

Introduced to improve service efficiency, the Monthly Station Feature aims to increase awareness of this new mode of transit. Please check out this month’s station feature below! 

Bus-Only Lanes 

• Enforcing the bus-only lanes is how Rapid A-Line will be able to maintain reliable travel times. 
• They have been painted red along the alignment. 
• Right turns are allowed from the striped red sections of the lane. Watch for buses and other pedestrians as you enter and turn. 
• Bus-only lanes will be enforced by the Atlanta Police Department, similar to the streetcar. 

 

Queue Jumps 

• Queue jump signals will be used to ensure the bus has Transit Signal Priority.
• Queue jumps are needed because the bus is travelling across lanes to make turns that it would be unable to do with normal traffic patterns.
• At intersections with queue jumps, the bus will get the queue jump signal to proceed.

• Drivers should not follow the bus and should wait for the green traffic signal light. 

Contact

For general project questions, contact our MARTA Rapid Response Team:

Tameka Barber & Gracie Stuart  
rapidaline@itsmarta.com
404.848.3006

Follow our progress! Sign up for project email updates here by selecting Rapid Summerhill under Expansion Projects.