Woman found dead along MARTA train track

MARTA is investigating after a woman, believed to have been struck by a train in the darkness of the early morning hours Saturday, was found dead along the train tracks as the sun rose.

An operator discovered the woman’s body near a train station in Southwest Atlanta around 7 a.m. Saturday, MARTA spokesperson Stephany Fisher said.

A subsequent review of surveillance footage from the station platform showed the woman entering the tracks at 12:08 a.m., Fisher said. A train passed by shortly after.

MARTA police found the woman’s body on the center trackway, reports state. Her body was released to the medical examiner’s office and her family was notified. Fisher said a cause of death is pending, but it’s believed the woman died by suicide.

There were no reports of a train making contact with a person or object until after sunrise, Fisher said. MARTA has interviewed operators whose trains passed through the area between midnight and 7 a.m. and also reviewed footage from the trains’ front cameras, which captured the incident.

A total of 13 trains passed through: 10 in service and three out of service.

There was low lighting in the area where the woman was struck. Fisher said the trains’ lights were working but didn’t illuminate the person for operators to see. It happened in an area where a track transition causes regular noise and vibrations.

Operators are required to watch for and report if they see someone on the tracks.

Train operators are placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation whenever someone is struck by a train. Operators involved in a fatal incident are also allowed to take paid trauma leave.

Three operators are on administrative leave as a result of this incident, Fisher said. No operators have opted to take trauma leave.

The incident was reported to both the Georgia Department of Transportation and the Federal Transit Administration.

MARTA has a partnership with the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities to advertise the state’s mental health hotline throughout the system. Anyone in crisis or who is concerned about another person can call or text the hotline at 988 to get help.