Thursday will bring a second day of slower-than-usual MARTA rail service, but no bus or para-transit service will be offered, officials said late Wednesday.
It was also announced that due to weather-related issues and lighter-than-normal passenger loads, MARTA rail service would end at 11:30 p.m. Wednesday and is expected to resume at 8 a.m. Thursday. MARTA will keep trains running overnight to prevent the tracks from freezing, the news release said.
MARTA trains will operate on a weekend schedule Thursday. Wait times could range from 20 to 30 minutes, and there could be unexpected weather-related delays, according to an earlier news release.
“MARTA is advising customers to dress warmly, to exercise patience in case of unexpected delays and to allow extra time for their trips,” spokesman Lyle Harris said in a news release.
All Gwinnett County Transit services — including express, GRTA Xpress, local and para-transit services were cancelled for Thursday, it was announced late Wedneseday.
MARTA rail service was still running Wednesday, but slower, Harris said. Customers traveling from the airport to North Springs had to transfer at Lindbergh for a Red Line train, the spokesman said.
At the Dunwoody MARTA station, riders who boarded a southbound train at 2:20 p.m. Wednesday were still holding 25 minutes later because another train was idle at Medical Center, the announcer on the train said.
“The weather is messing up the trains. The tracks are freezing,” he said, asking riders for patience.
The announcer had promised to leave the trains doors shut to keep waiting riders warm, but they remained open for another 15 minutes
“I thought he was going to shut the doors,” one woman complained. One rider borrowed another’s gloves.
After awhile, an employee walked through the cars to apologize about the delay. One woman asked if the east-west train was running.
“I don’t even know,” the man said. “We’re actually just winging it.”
Finally he herded everyone off the train telling them to board on the northbound side where the could catch a train coming from Sandy Springs. That train was to take them south on the northbound track.
“We’re trying to get people to the airport,” he said.
It departed 30 minutes after they boarded the hobbled train.
Rail service began Wednesday at 4:35 a.m., with trains running approximately every 15 minutes on all lines until about 2 a.m. on Thursday.
“Safety will always be our first and foremost priority,” said Keith T. Parker, MARTA’s GM/CEO. “Until weather conditions improve, we’ll continue to provide as much rail service as we possibly can and restore bus and Mobility service as soon as it’s feasible.”
MARTA officials said their decision regarding bus service was consistent with the directive issued by Gov. Nathan Deal. Deal instructed most vehicles to stay off the highways in order to facilitate treatment of road surfaces by salt and sand trucks.
Although MARTA buses are not be operating on their regularly scheduled routes, some are being deployed as “warming stations” to provide comfort and shelter at various locations for motorists, truckers and others.
— Nunzio Lupo, AJC senior director of digital products, and staff writer Michelle E. Shaw contributed to this report.
About the Author
