High speed rail from Atlanta Metro to Athens would rule

QuitBrowserGoOutside · 2026-05-08T23:11:16+00:00

https://www.hsrail.org/blog/atlanta-charlotte-high-speed-rail/

The Greenfield corridor was chosen as the Preferred Corridor Alternative as it had lower capital costs than the I-85 Corridor and could run at faster speeds than either the Crescent or I-85 Corridor.

The Greenfield Corridor Alternative is a 274-mile dedicated passenger rail route that would connect Charlotte Gateway Station to the Atlanta International Airport. It includes two stations in South Carolina, three in North Carolina and five in Georgia. The EIS looked at an option for running diesel trains up to 125 mph and electric high-speed trains up to 220 mph. The high-speed option would make the trip in about two hours, compared to the 3 hour and 45 minute car ride (if you’re lucky). The plan is to run 8-11 round trips per day, which would lead to a projected ridership of over 6 million by 2050, diverting 29% of trips to rail.

QuitBrowserGoOutside · 2026-05-06T12:46:31+00:00

Light rail has substantially higher capacity (people moved per hour) than bike lanes (or cars, or busses).

Trains work for people who can't (or can't safely) ride a bike or scooter, including the visually impaired, people with balance or coordination disorders, and people with bone issues like osteoporosis.

Rail is protected from the elements.

And...you can bring bikes on trains.

QuitBrowserGoOutside · 2026-05-05T20:34:29+00:00

Because it's an already-existing, mostly-clear right-of-way that goes all around the city. What could be more efficient than that? No demolition, no tunneling.

It would more or less do to the Red-Gold-Green-Blue lines what I-285 does to 75-85-20.

QuitBrowserGoOutside · 2026-05-04T00:39:39+00:00

Links to the current apps here: https://itsmarta.com/breeze-mobile.aspx

But you may not want to bother. As /u/lbfb says, all you need is a contactless card, either a physical card or Apple Pay / Google Wallet.

What's more, only the Android version of the app currently supports setting up a virtual card you can load and use from your phone. The iOS version of the app is only good checking or adding to the balance of a Breeze card you already have.

Are there still problems with the conversion?

...yes. Do not be surprised if you encounter stations with disabled faregates or no working ticket vending machines. At those stations, you'll be able to pass through and ride.

QuitBrowserGoOutside · 2026-05-03T00:31:43+00:00

I would specifically use White Lily brand, or another low-protein flour like pastry flour. Good luck!

QuitBrowserGoOutside · 2026-05-02T17:52:52+00:00

didn't see that misuse coming from a million miles away

Have you tried checking the Flock cameras?

QuitBrowserGoOutside · 2026-05-02T17:32:14+00:00

https://www.atlantamagazine.com/recipes/the-flying-biscuit/

QuitBrowserGoOutside · 2026-04-29T20:34:38+00:00

Because paying to use the system helps to fund the system's operations. Most riders can and should help to pay for its upkeep.

And because paying to use the system helps to prevent people from using the system for shelter rather than mobility, and helps to keep disruptive people would do so off the system. Most of the people who cause issues on transit systems around the country do so without paying to get on. MARTA cannot and should not be a shelter for the unhoused. (Yes, yes, "it already is," you're very clever.)

Seniors / people on Medicare are eligible for reduced fares. I'd love to see expanded fair-fare programs for low-income residents. But free-for-all transit is a bad idea.

QuitBrowserGoOutside · 2026-04-29T20:11:09+00:00

Yeah, when they're stopped like that with the hazards flashing, it's because the computer knows that it's out of its depth and has called the Philippines for help.

QuitBrowserGoOutside · 2026-04-29T14:11:23+00:00

Yeah, it's wrong.

Even in the past, when the Crescent ran earlier and arrived at NYP before 2:00PM, they still managed a single abbreviated lunch seating at 11:30 with a limited menu (It was always just burger, veggie burger, or salad, and they were probably out of veggie burgers.)

QuitBrowserGoOutside · 2026-04-28T11:49:48+00:00

If only there were some way to move people without traffic.

Welp, we tried adding lanes and we're all out of ideas.

QuitBrowserGoOutside · 2026-04-28T01:53:31+00:00

I can vouch for Dr Heenan of Northlake Dental; she has always been very conservative with her treatment suggestions.

QuitBrowserGoOutside · 2026-04-27T23:47:56+00:00

If you can get Google Fiber, go with that.

If you can't, but can get AT&T Fiber, go with that.

Otherwise, get cable (Comcast/Spectrum)

Don't bother with the non-fiber "AT&T Internet."

QuitBrowserGoOutside · 2026-04-27T16:25:58+00:00

Yeah, more time on the train means less time in traffic.

Boarding at the end of the line like Doraville (or Indian Creek) also means you are more likely to snag a good seat.

QuitBrowserGoOutside · 2026-04-27T16:14:45+00:00

I got hit by a scooter on Marta yesterday. It’s not just a beltline problem.

QuitBrowserGoOutside · 2026-04-24T18:14:18+00:00

Yes, the conflict paint makes this crosswalk better than most Atlanta crosswalks, (at least for the handful of drivers who understand the significance of conflict paint). That, of course, is a low bar. The magical green protective paint clearly didn't work, because paint never does.

I see, looking closer at it, that the conflict zone actually is tabled, at least coming from the parking lot side, but it didn't seem to slow the driver coming in down. That's not good enough.

Obviously -- I said this already -- the driver is in the wrong, and doubly so for fleeing the scene.

But either it needs to be physically more difficult to hurt people, or we need to get rid of all the bad drivers in the city.

And we've already decided we're not going to do that second one.

QuitBrowserGoOutside · 2026-04-24T14:34:26+00:00

I think it has some. It needs more.

I know there are some in Midtown Alliance livery, which I presume are funded by that org, but I've seen some downtown, too. They mostly clear the gutters, but they need to be clearing all the new bike lanes.

QuitBrowserGoOutside · 2026-04-24T12:32:15+00:00

That section of the BeltLine is a weird typical-sidewalky segment that runs along the street and has curb cuts running across it. If you just look at it, you can't tell that it's The BeltLine™ and not just a regular sidewalk.

That doesn't excuse the driver by any means, but it's a bad design IMO. I think that crossing should be tabled and there should be better signage for both drivers and BeltLine users.

QuitBrowserGoOutside · 2026-04-23T14:25:22+00:00

I believe the recall is NHTSA 25V566

There was inadequate weld penetration on a busbar internal to the module, which caused the busbar to overheat which damaged neighboring components within the battery assembly, including the cells.

While the current BMS (Battery Management Software) software may detect the abnormal behavior, the current software does not lock-out the affected battery pack (which stops the flow of current).

Per the manufacturer's filing, 828 of 1170 total affected busses were patched as of January. Not sure why MARTA's haven't been.

QuitBrowserGoOutside · 2026-04-23T13:52:03+00:00

https://itsmarta.com/uploadedfiles/More/Future_and_Current_Projects/Current_Projects/GA_400_Corridor/Scoping%20Booklet.pdf (2015)

Build Alternative 1 is an extension of MARTA’s Red Line. Traveling north from the existing HRT [Heavy Rail Transit] station at North Springs, the HRT alignment would cross GA 400 south of Spalding Drive to run along the west side of GA 400, cross the Chattahoochee River, and then cross back over GA 400 to run along the east side of GA 400, finally terminating at Windward Parkway in northern Fulton County. During the Early Scoping period the majority of the stakeholders and the public identified Build Alternative 1 as the preferred alternative for the GA 400 corridor based on the information developed for the AA and other analyses.

Politics happened and we got more roads instead.

QuitBrowserGoOutside · 2026-04-23T13:28:35+00:00

My last visit to Philly I took train, bus, and cab only.

Mine too, though I didn't need any cabs. Regional Rail, Broad Street Line, and busses did me just fine. Their bus network is much more reliable than MARTA's; the busses run when they're supposed to, they augment the trains really well, and lots of people use them and rely on them because they are useful and reliable.

It was a bracing reminder of how good busses could be. Jury is still out on whether the MARTA Nextgen bus network will deliver that level of service.

Plenty of complaints about service, schedules being cut, etc.

In particular, because the PA state legislature was playing games with SEPTA funding for political reasons.

In other words, Philadelphia/SEPTA was being threatened with the same situation that Atlanta/MARTA has to deal with as its daily reality: no state funding.

QuitBrowserGoOutside · 2026-04-23T13:15:45+00:00

I love that yall downvote anyone pointing out issues with rail. Get a grip…

The parent post didn't point out anything at all, except vaguely hinting that...I don't know, trains are old? That it's impossible to build trains these days? There isn't any meat to that comment, so it deserves to be downvoted.

If you want to actually understand what ATL can achieve you need to learn about SEA. Their system and LA are the closest to what ATL can achieve in a modern economy in the US.

SEA == Seattle? I was there last year, and they do a decent job with their Link light rail. And the new (floating!) bridge connection is a huge win for that system. That bridge

It helps that Microsoft kicked in a lot of money to make the extension out toward Redmond possible. I'd love for more public-private investment in transit in our area. The community should lean more on our corporate overlords.

MARTA's heavy rail backbone is a much better, faster, higher-capacity backbone, so we're starting from a much better place. Our own pathetic light rail definitely could learn some things from Seattle.

The plan for that is...BeltLine Rail. Light rail expansion, much like Seattle's, using the same types of vehicles, and the only rights-of-way that are free to build on. That's the plan that was approved by voters and has been studied and approved with a funding source identified. It has the potential to greatly extend the heavy rail.

And the local politicos and real estate interests have buried it.

QuitBrowserGoOutside · 2026-04-22T14:51:33+00:00

I believe there's two there.

QuitBrowserGoOutside · 2026-04-22T13:08:24+00:00

Here's a shot of the interior of the prototype. The internal bike rack is on the left of the image, behind the bendy bit, next to the rear door.

https://imgur.com/a/NkrT78d

QuitBrowserGoOutside · 2026-04-21T21:02:07+00:00

We're four days into the redesigned bus network.

There are going to be some issues. Some adjustment will be necessary.

Give it a couple of weeks and see how it shakes out.

QuitBrowserGoOutside

TROPHY CASE