MARTA resumes normal operations after train track fire

William Braxton was on his way to the Chamblee MARTA station from the Airport station when he heard a “chilling” announcement from the conductor on the train ahead of him: “Fire, fire stop everything! There is smoke everywhere!”

“He sounded extremely panicked,” Braxton said, “like he truly did not believe he was going to make it out alive.”

What followed were train lights going dark and doors opening as passengers were told to exit the train.

A routine train ride home became a harrowing experience when a train track caught on fire, shutting down two stations and forcing passengers to flee smoke and hike along tracks to another station.

“The conductor somehow got (the lights) back on and the doors open,” Braxton told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “and told us the power was out on the track and to evacuate the station because he had no idea what was happening.”

Single-tracking service was restored at six of the train stations – Peachtree Center, Civic Center, North Avenue, Midtown, Arts Center and Lindbergh Center – after a high-voltage rail track caught fire, MARTA spokesman Erik Burton said.

Just after 6:45 a.m. Friday, full service was restored.

“We have no reason to believe this was intentional,” Burton said. “We believe it’s more mechanical in nature, resulting from some sort of electrical surge.”

Midtown and North Avenue stations were closed for roughly two hours Thursday as crews investigated what led to the fire. Passengers were taken through a tunnel to the next station, Channel 2 Action News reported.

There were more than 100 people on a nearby train at the time who had to be evacuated, though Burton said no one suffered serious injuries. He said a few people complained about the smoke but did not require oxygen. “They just needed to catch their breath,” he said.

Earlier, a bus bridge was in effect to transport riders between the Peachtree Center, Civic Center, North Avenue, Midtown, Arts Center and Lindbergh stations. Southbound service resumed at Peachtree Center and northbound service resumed at Lindbergh Center.

“A full investigation in underway to determine the cause of the smoke,” Burton said. “We apologize for any inconvenience this incident may have caused our passengers and are working to ensure the safest ride possible for all of our customers.”

Some customers found alternative ways around the wait, such as Braxton who took an Uber home.

Jerry Paulson was waiting for a northbound train at Midtown when he heard a noise and saw everyone escorted off. Paulson, who rides MARTA regularly, was considering different options to get home: "I'm probably going to take a Lyft to Arts Center (station) or all the way home, depending on traffic."

Jeremy Zhao was headed from Buckhead toward the North Avenue station, which is his stop. About 6:20 p.m., the train stopped in the tunnel near the Midtown station. “We were just sitting there and suddenly smoke started building in the cabin,” Zhao said.

He waited it out while other passengers reacted by running off the train and moving to different cars. “Everyone is freaking out,” he texted his girlfriend.Then the conductors ran from the front of the train to the back without saying anything, Zhao said.

For others, the ride was scarier.

AJC staff writer Mandi Albright said she noticed smoke making its way into the first car of the train.

“The smoke got really thick pretty quickly. We all rushed through the doors to the second car for better air, but the smoke was just as bad in that car, too,” Albright said. “The train driver came running past us and he was screaming 'I don't know what's happening! I've got to get us going northbound again!’ People were yelling at others to make room and let him through. He seemed as panicked as everyone else.”

Albright called 911 and was routed to MARTA's emergency line.

“The operator said that fire and emergency services were on the way, but by that time we saw other people outside, walking along the catwalk beside the train so we opened the door with the emergency latch and joined them.”

“I'll be honest,” Albright said, “I actually thought we were going to die in there. I know that probably sounds crazy but it's just what I felt in that train car.”

Fran Jeffries, a digital producer for the AJC, said she thought the train stopping was a typical MARTA delay and kept chatting with Albright until they saw the smoke.

“It began to fill up the car that we were in pretty quickly. People on our car began to move to the car behind us,” Jeffries said. “We followed and quickly realized that that car also was filling with smoke. At that point, we didn’t know what to do.”

Jeffries said the conductor didn’t say anything, leading to “agitated and concerned” passengers.

After about 10 minutes, the passengers got off the train and walked for about 10 to 15 minutes through a dark tunnel.

“People were helping each other…,” Jeffries said. “I just wish the conductor would’ve said something, anything.”

The fire comes three weeks after a deadly shooting on a westbound MARTA train.

Police say Chauncey Lee Daniels shot and killed Zachariah Hunnicutt on a train headed to the West Lake station. Three others were also injured in what police called a "targeted" shooting. In a preliminary hearing last week, detectives offered no motive for why Daniels might have shot Hunnicutt, who knew the suspect from work at a temp agency.

The transit agency has seen an increase in ridership with the I-85 bridge work. MARTA CEO Keith Parker said at the time of the collapse that ridership had increased by 25 percent.

—Staff writers Ellen Eldridge, Ana Santos and David Wickert contributed to this article.

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— Staff writer Lauren Foreman contributed to this story.