When a derailed MARTA train stuck on the tracks backed up service for people traveling to and from Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on this week, it was the latest in a line of MARTA delays that have plagued the metro area’s transportation system.
In this case, the agency will have to bring in a crane to move the train in order to resume normal service to the airport.
Credit: JOHN SPINK / AJC
Credit: JOHN SPINK / AJC
While waiting for things to get moving again, here are five other times the train system has experienced longer than
usual delays:
• June 4, 2018: A MARTA contractor was killed when a train struck his service vehicle near the Medical Center Station. Portions of the red and gold lines were shut down for about nine hours. Similar to Wednesday' train delay, MARTA used a bus bridge to transport passengers until the rail lines reopened.
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• Jan. 17, 2018: On a day when roads were hazardous, riders opting to take the train were met with frustration as icy weather caused intermittent delays for trains. MARTA explained ice and snow affects how braking systems work — and MARTA's trains aren't built to handle it. The cold led to problems with some trains' air compressors and ice also kept some trains' doors from closing, spokeswoman Stephany Fisher told the AJC, causing a 20- to 40-minute delays. The silver lining: no one was injured.
• Jan. 9. 2018: Fresh off a UGA loss to Alabama in the college football national championship game, Georgia fans faced defeat again as they tried to use MARTA after the game.
Faulty train doors that wouldn’t properly close trapped riders on platforms after the game at Mercedes-Benz stadium.
The agency said overcrowded platforms and impatient passengers manually opening doors were the causing the problem. Passengers blamed it on MARTA’s equipment failure. There were no winners.
• Sept. 27, 2017: Hundreds of people forced open the doors on a MARTA train between Lindbergh and Arts Center stations after delays left passengers — many of them Atlanta United fans who missed kick off — exasperated and angry. After about an hour stuck on the train, the air-conditioning and lights had cut out.
Few people had cell service. They walked single-file along a 2 -foot-wide concrete ledge that hugged the wall of a tunnel on one side and dropped off to the tracks several feet below. MARTA officials said a power outage caused the delays.
• Sept. 11, 2017: High winds due to Tropical Storm Irma caused MARTA to suspend all its bus, rail and paratransit services, citing high winds that could blow over train cars and buses or make it difficult for bus drivers to maintain control of their vehicles. The agency said it decided to suspend service all day to avoid stranding passengers who might ride in the morning only to see service suspended later in the day. Service resumed on a limited schedule the following day.
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