Transportation in Atlanta

Atlanta has many ways for people to get around, making it easy to travel inside and outside the city. The city is known for having the world's busiest airport, Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport, which helps Atlanta be an important place for travel around the world. Atlanta also has many roads, trains, buses, and places for walking and biking.

The city started as a place where railroads met, and transportation is still very important for Atlanta's jobs. Big companies like Delta Air Lines, Norfolk Southern Railroad, and United Parcel Service have their main offices there.

Atlanta has a public transit system run by the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA), which includes buses and trains. Even though there are many buses and trains, most people in Atlanta still drive cars to work. Because so many people drive, there is often heavy traffic and pollution. The city is trying different things to help people use cars less, but there are also plans to build more roads.

Background

Atlanta has always been an important place for transportation. It started as a railroad town, and trains first arrived in the city between 1845 and 1854 from many directions. In 1871, horse-drawn carriages began moving people around the city, and electric streetcars came in 1889. Over time, Atlanta grew into a big hub for travel.

In the mid-1900s, the city began building many freeways, which changed the way people moved around. Today, most people in Atlanta still drive to work, but there are efforts to create better ways to travel without cars.

Mass transit

MARTA

Most public transport in Atlanta is run by the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA). MARTA has trains and buses to help people get around. The trains run on tracks and have four different lines: the Red Line, Gold Line, Blue Line, and Green Line. All these lines stop at a station called Five Points in downtown Atlanta.

MARTA also has many buses that go to places outside the train area. These buses stop at train stations too. There are special bus stops where people can park their cars and then take the bus.

Other transit

Some other places around Atlanta have their own bus services. There are special buses that connect smaller towns to downtown Atlanta. Universities like Emory University and the Georgia Institute of Technology also have their own shuttle buses.

Intercity bus and rail

There are buses that go between cities, and you can also take a train from Atlanta to places like New Orleans and New York City.

Roads and freeways

Most people in Atlanta use cars to get around the city. Very few people use public transportation, and most homes have at least one car. Atlanta is famous for having a lot of traffic.

Three big roads called Interstates meet in Atlanta: I-20, I-75, and I-85. Parts of I-75 and I-85 run together for a while through the center of the city and are called the Downtown Connector. This road is very busy, with up to 400,000 cars each day. A larger road called Interstate 285 goes around Atlanta and is known as the Perimeter.

There are also special toll lanes on some roads where drivers can pay to use faster lanes. These lanes change direction depending on the time of day.

Cycling is becoming more popular in Atlanta, but there are still challenges like heavy traffic and hills. The city plans to build many miles of bike lanes and has trails like the BeltLine. Atlanta also has a bike sharing program with many bikes in different places around the city.

Main article: Cycling in Atlanta

Air transportation

See also: List of airports in Georgia (U.S. state)

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is the world's busiest airport. Located about 10 miles south of downtown, it offers flights to over 150 places in the United States and 70 international destinations in 43 countries. Every day, it has more than 2,100 planes taking off and landing. Delta Air Lines, one of the biggest airlines, has its main office and largest hub here. The airport has a train station for local travel and is easy to reach from major highways like Interstate 75, Interstate 85, and Interstate 285.

Besides Hartsfield-Jackson, Atlanta has other smaller airports such as Fulton County Airport and DeKalb-Peachtree Airport, which are mostly used for private planes and small flights.

Current and proposed projects

Beltline

Main article: Atlanta Beltline

In July 2012, people in Atlanta voted on a tax to improve traffic and roads. This tax would have helped build streetcars along parts of the Beltline trail and connect to train stations and a streetcar loop in the city center. But most people voted against the tax, so these plans did not move forward.

Clifton Corridor

Main article: Clifton Corridor

The Clifton Corridor is a plan for a new train line that would start at Lindbergh Center and go east. It would follow train tracks to Emory University, then pass through a place called Decatur and end at the Avondale MARTA station. Money for this project depends on getting a big grant.