MARTA is `a safe system,’ board chairperson says

MARTA leaders took a defensive stance Thursday in their first public remarks since a string of violent incidents, downplaying the launch of a federal investigation as “expected,” touting accomplishments they said had been overshadowed and saying the public has responsibility for safety, too.

“This isn’t MARTA’s system,” interim General Manager and CEO Jonathan Hunt told the transit agency’s Board of Directors. “This is our system. It’s the region’s system.”

While MARTA employees protested outside the meeting over safety concerns of their own, officials insisted MARTA is ready for Monday’s start of the FIFA World Cup games in Atlanta, and riders should feel confident.

“It’s a safe system,” Board Chair Jennifer Ide said. “I hope that as the world visits Atlanta in these next couple of weeks, everybody has a fantastic experience riding our system.”

Thursday was the first board meeting since MARTA came under investigation by the Federal Transit Administration over safety concerns for riders and employees after the fatal stabbing of a 66-year-old woman. A 17-year-old was shot the day after the investigation’s launch.

MARTA has until next week to give both federal officials and state legislators — who have their own questions about safety — information on the agency’s security plans and strategies against fare evasion.

The investigations come as MARTA is ramping up service for the FIFA World Cup, for which the agency is under incredible pressure to provide flawless service. Although transit officials have said for months the agency is “more than ready” for the international event, MARTA now finds itself welcoming visitors with a “black eye,” as Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens described it.

On top of the widespread safety concerns, MARTA will also begin the World Cup with several unfinished capital projects, including the new trains the agency promised riders would be in service. The railcars, built by Swiss manufacturer Stadler, were supposed to go into service June 4 before the debut was canceled because the agency could not verify the fleet was safe in time.

Some members conceded the agency may have bitten off more than it could chew. In wanting to look its best for the World Cup, Board member Jacob Tzegaegbe, who represents Atlanta, said MARTA may have been “overly ambitious.”

“Instead of it being a win, we’re looking at the glass half empty,” he said.

Hunt said that in an ideal world, MARTA would have staggered the major capital projects. But the agency was in a situation where it couldn’t delay without incurring financial penalties, and would have been criticized for pushing projects back.

“The persistent drumbeat of ‘lack of delivery, MARTA can’t execute’ would have only gotten louder and been more persistent,” Hunt said. “So we pushed forward and we hit the mark on many, many things.”