The Midtown MARTA station and surrounding streets that were shut down throughout Monday's morning commute were reopened just after 9 a.m., more than three hours after a suspicious package was reported.
The package, described by Atlanta police dispatchers as a "large Army green duffel bag," was found just before 6 a.m. on Peachtree Place near Cypress Street. The site is between Peachtree Street and West Peachtree.
The duffel bag was located in some bushes near a parking lot across the street from AGL Resources.
Atlanta police spokeswoman Kim Jones told the AJC that when officers pulled clothing out of the top of the duffel bag, "a large tool and green canister/tank remained inside." That turned out to be welding equipment, Jones said.
The Atlanta Police Department bomb squad arrived around 8 a.m. and the bomb robot was deployed about 30 minutes later.
Police shut down Peachtree Place and Cypress Street while the duffel bag was being investigated. West Peachtree Street was also blocked, at 8th Street, but no evacuations were ordered.
Trains continued to run through the Midtown MARTA station; however, customers could not enter the station, spokeswoman Cara Hodgson said. MARTA set up a bus shuttle to take customers between Midtown, North Avenue and Arts Center Station, she said.
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