The heavy rain and flooding that caused problems across metro Atlanta roads and at the airport Thursday disrupted MARTA rail service, completely shutting down two stations south of Downtown.
MARTA spokeswoman Saba Long at 1 p.m. said there were delays on all rail lines, and the Garnett and West End stations were closed.
“Rail service between the Five Points and Oakland City stations has been terminated and a bus bridge has been established,” she said. “This will remain in effect until it is safe to resume rail service.”
She said the customers should also expect delays in bus service due to heavy rain and street flooding.
Ruby Braxton flew in to Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport from Miami to visit family in DeKalb County when she encountered delays on the MARTA train leaving the airport.
Braxton got on the train about 10:45 a.m. and got to the Oakland station (one stop before West End), where passengers sat for 10 minutes with the doors open. Passengers were eventually told MARTA was having “some major complications with the railway” and later they were told “due to technical difficulties the northbound will end at West End and everybody will have to get off the train. This will be the last stop for the northbound train,” Braxton recalled.
Braxton said she stepped off the train with her suitcase into 4 to 6 inches of water.
“People were very upset,” she said. “Eventually somebody came out and said there’s a bus.”
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