No timeline for new MARTA trains to enter service
There’s still no date for MARTA’s new trains to enter service, officials said Thursday.
The first of the new railcars, built by Swiss manufacturer Stadler, were scheduled to go into service June 4, and MARTA officials had promised that several would be operational by the start of the FIFA World Cup games in Atlanta on Monday.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution was the first to report about significant delays in testing the cars, which MARTA officials had previously not acknowledged. The debut was officially postponed last week.
MARTA has yet to submit to the Georgia Department of Transportation the final paperwork to certify the trains are safe and ready for passengers, the first step in the process that can take up to 30 days for state regulators to sign off.
Jonathan Hunt, MARTA’s interim general manager and CEO, said he and the staff involved in getting the trains into service were “heartbroken” about the delay, but predicted that it will be forgotten in time.
“It will come, and I know a year from now it’ll be more of a footnote than the main headline,” Hunt said.
Hunt described the delay as essentially a paperwork issue. GDOT officials have seen how the trains work and know they’re safe, he said. MARTA just has to “show its work” and submit all the documentation that proves the trains’ safety, according to Hunt.
Some, but not all, of the material has been submitted and is already being reviewed by GDOT, he said. MARTA and Stadler officials talk daily about the status of the remaining work, Hunt said, adding that the final paperwork should be submitted within “the next couple of weeks.”
Once MARTA certifies the trains are safe, that starts the clock at GDOT. State policy says that MARTA is required to notify GDOT that the trains are ready at least 30 days before they can begin ferrying passengers.
Unless GDOT waives its policy, that timeline makes it nearly impossible for any of the new trains to go into service before the end of the World Cup in July.
MARTA officials have said previously that the agency will be able to provide its expanded World Cup service with or without the new trains. They said the focus is on ensuring the trains are safe.
“That is our guiding principle, and if it means that the authority ultimately has egg on our face over something, I’m more than willing to wear that,” Hunt told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution last month.
An AJC investigation last month found the $707 million project has been beset with delays and private bickering between MARTA and Stadler. At one point last year, MARTA officials were so frustrated they threatened to pursue a damage claim of more than $1 million against Stadler.
Hunt said they have a good relationship with Stadler now. Officials for the train manufacturer previously told the AJC they are working together closely.
About the Author
Sara Gregory covers transportation for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and writes about how residents navigate one of the most congested metros in the country. A Charlotte native, she joined the AJC in 2023 after working at newspapers in South Carolina and Virginia.
