Atlanta’s streetcar launch, costs in flux

Atlanta's first streetcar system in more than half a century, a $100 million venture aimed at revitalizing downtown, will launch later and cost significantly more to operate than city officials anticipated.

The cars are arriving. The tracks are nearly all laid. But the most basic question — who will manage the day-to-day operations — is still unsettled.

Emails obtained exclusively by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution show that Atlanta city officials are still weighing options for who will operate and maintain the 2.7-mile system — MARTA, a third-party vendor, or even the city itself.