MARTA Post World Cup: Still Impressive
I was recently invited to a preseason Falcons game, and of course I was excited to go. But almost immediately after saying yes, my next thought was: How am I going to get there?
Anyone who has attended a major event in downtown Atlanta knows that getting there can sometimes feel like half the battle. Driving means thinking about traffic, parking, and how early you need to leave. So I started looking at MARTA as my best option.
I’ll admit, I wondered whether MARTA would still be operating at the same level we saw during the World Cup. When I checked the train headways, I quickly realized my assumption was wrong. Trains were running about every five minutes, giving me plenty of flexibility to decide when to head to the station without planning my entire evening around one specific train.
Before the World Cup, missing a train could mean sitting on the platform for quite a while, potentially throwing off your entire arrival. With trains coming every few minutes, I had plenty of flexibility to decide when I wanted to head to the station without feeling like I needed to plan my evening around one specific train.
Then, of course, I got to the station and just missed one.
My immediate thought was, Here we go. I’m going to miss kickoff.
To my surprise, the next train arrived about three minutes later.
That kind of frequency makes a huge difference during major events. Instead of everyone trying to squeeze onto the same train, people can spread out across multiple trains. The ride felt much more manageable, and getting downtown was incredibly easy.
What stood out just as much as the train frequency was the number of MARTA employees and officers throughout the system. At Lindbergh, Five Points, and SEC Station, there were employees helping people navigate, answering questions, and directing crowds where they needed to go.
I could not get over how easy the entire experience felt.
After the game, that continued. Multiple trains were available for those of us heading north, and MARTA employees were actively directing passengers to the right platforms and helping keep everyone moving.
It felt like a system had been put in place for the World Cup, tested under some of the biggest crowds Atlanta has seen, and is now continuing to benefit everyday riders and people attending events downtown.
I hope more people give MARTA a try while this level of service is available. For anyone who has avoided MARTA because of long waits, crowded trains, or uncertainty about navigating the system, my recent experience felt noticeably different.
And if you’re still unsure about trying it on your own, reach out to the Livable Buckhead team. We’d gladly ride with you!
