A new endpoint for Clifton bus rapid transit? MARTA studying Armour Yards.

Going back to the drawing board on the north endpoint shouldn’t further delay the project’s timeline, Chief Capital Officer Carrie Rocha said, because it will happen concurrently with other work — including negotiations for the right-of-way access needed to accommodate the route, which will run parallel to CSX rail lines.

“We’re just trying to lay out what our options are,” Rocha told Atlanta City Council members earlier this month.

The Clifton Corridor is one of Atlanta metro’s largest employment centers that’s not accessible by high-speed transit, limiting who can work and live in the area.

MARTA has adopted and dropped plans for the corridor over the years. The agency plans to finalize a new route by late 2025 after public meetings and discussions with large employers along the corridor, including Emory University, the VA Medical Center and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Credit: JOHN SPINK / AJC

Credit: JOHN SPINK / AJC

Light rail was originally envisioned. But cost — and the lack of right-of-way access — pushed MARTA to consider other options. The agency settled on bus rapid transit two years ago, saying BRT would cost significantly less (an estimated $1.3 billion compared to $2.9 billion) but perform about the same.

The Lindbergh Center station, just north of Armour Yards, is currently envisioned as the northern end of the route, which would eventually run southeast to Avondale station in DeKalb County.

A spokesperson for Dickens’ office said the mayor’s preference is to end the route at Armour Yards. His office didn’t elaborate on why.

Armour Yards sits halfway between Midtown and Buckhead and is home to a growing development that includes SweetWater Brewing Company and the District NightClub. It’s also the site of one of MARTA’s rail yards, where trains are stored and maintained.

It’s long been seen as a site for transit expansion, given its proximity to MARTA’s existing Red and Gold line tracks and to the Atlanta Beltline, which will pass through. Norfolk Southern also maintains a rail yard at Armour Yards for Amtrak.

MARTA has studied the feasibility of Armour Yards in the past, most recently in 2018. The study identified several challenges at the site, including height limitations and the need to relocate existing CSX rail lines.

Still, the study said a station was feasible.

Rocha told council members there are cost trade-offs with either northern option. Ending at Armour Yards means reducing the route length and could have reduced right-of-way impacts.

The costs of an infill station could be substantial.

In 2018, the four infill stations were originally projected to cost $350 million total. Neither MARTA nor the city has updated those cost projections since then, but one transit advocacy group has estimated a $1 billion price tag, potentially adding $250 million to the Clifton Corridor project.

Funding has been identified for the Atlanta-only portion of the route, from Lindbergh to Clifton Road.

The Atlanta portion is projected to cost nearly $600 million, according to the latest budget projections. Rocha said about half the costs could be eligible for federal funding. Revenue from the More MARTA sales tax would fund the rest.