I love MARTA! I was living in Atlanta when the system was built. It made a huge difference in the…read moreamount of time it took to navigate the city known for its traffic congestion. The difficulty of driving the combined I-85/75 through the midst of town at high rates of speed is dreaded & avoided by most out of towners. In the midst of 80mph bumper to bumper traffic, it's difficult for those not familiar with the correct exit lane. When my middle aged son, who has lived in NYC for decades, had a business trip to Atlanta he rented a car. On his return trip to the airport I asked if he planned to go through the middle of town or around the perimeter highway. He responded "the middle of town". I chuckled mentally waiting to hear his reaction. When I finally asked, the NYC driver responded "They go fast.....REALLY fast!" With MARTA you avoid this. There was controversy before construction regarding the counties that would participate in MARTA. In the beginning only Atlanta/Fulton County participated. My 2nd apartment complex on Piedmont Road was new when my roommates and I moved in during 1972. The complex was demolished to build the Lindbergh MARTA station. By that time I was living in East Cobb. But old pictures still provide remembrances of that place in its earlier time. The system has created such easy and fast access, avoiding the traffic congestion that had always been a part of Atlanta. Park & Ride lots provide for riders who aren't in walking distance. Decades after I moved to Coastal Virginia I took my then teenage son to see a musical theatre production at the gorgeous Fox Theater. I chose a hotel close to the Fox. We were able to get onto MARTA inside the airport and exit within a block of our hotel. We walked to the Fox and nearby restaurants. We took MARTA to my longtime shopping center of choice, Lenox Square. Treating him to a hot dog at the legendary Varsity Restaurant was easy with MARTA. Navigating around Atlanta was so easy without a vehicle. It's been over a decade since I last visited the place in which I spent my early adulthood. Still dear to my heart, I'd love to see the expansion of the MARTA line and the conveniences it has added.

Once again Marta has delayed my day. Got to the Doraville Station and there is a train stuck on the…read moretracks at the station. So now we have to go back south so the driver can change tracks on the way back. This truly sucks because I am in route to an appointment. Another train just passed us going north the conductor never told us to get off the train to continue north. This is very bad service.

Conveniently located. Air conditioning may not be working so they have industrial fans…read more Not much seating if waiting for your train so I recommend watching the train times.

I rode the train to the airport this morning and a one way ticket is $3.50 like the previous time I…read morerode the train. There was some old lady making a nuisance of herself by the gates and the lone staff member on duty was trying to ignore her. As I passed through the gate the lady slipped through behind me and I said she should probably buy a ticket and she told me to mind my own damn business. I would have, if she didn't use me to skip paying for the train fare. I bet her plan was to follow someone else out at her stop because you need to use your ticket to enter and exit the stations. When we got on the train the lady was babbling to herself the entire time. I don't think she was all there in the head. At least this train didn't smell like pee. There was no ventilation so it was very stuffy despite the cooler temperatures of the early morning.

Marta is SMARTA. I was attending a conference that had a…read moretour from Buckhead to midtown... Traffic & parking costs said to me... Take Marta. Originated at College Park and is was faster than anticipated, cleaner than expected, and utilized by all walks of life So glad Atlanta & the State of GA invested in a rail system. Just wished it went to more destinations... Not a plus sign, but like a wheel

It's nice to have a train to traverse the city. I've been to Atlanta several times, and I have…read moreridden the Marta plenty. This station wasn't that crowded. You do see some sketch people, but I didn't feel unsafe. I do recommend traveling with companions if you can. We came when it was out, so they have cooling fans around the stations. Some areas are definitely not clean. I recommend not touching things if you can help it.

No complaints from me. I love that this MARTA station has ample parking, free parking at that.read more

Above ground station that is close to the Little Five Points neighborhood. But trust me, you'll…read morewant to keep walking outbound and hit up Fox Brothers BBQ. Automated ticket vending machines, kiosks and a MARTA staff person. There are elevators and escalators, though on this weekday afternoon it was going "up." Maybe there's a "down" but I didn't spot it.

This was our home station while in Atlanta and it was pretty convenient all around…read more The station is pretty large but there is a lot of signage to ensure you are getting to where you are going in the most efficient way. When we first got off the train, we didn't look at the signs and just exited to the street so we ended up walking a lot more the first day but once you realize all the demarcations, you'll be fine. We actually found an exit closer to our hotel, without having to walk up hill. SCORE!!! The station looks clean and feels pretty safe. I agree that it's a bit dark but I kind of think it adds to the charm a bit. I love the monitors that let you know when the next train is coming. The escalators are interesting to say the least. They do take forever but they are very long and better than having to walk up 4 flights of stairs, especially with baggage. And once we found the exit that didn't involve a hill, the escalator in that area was a bit shorter.

If nothing else, this is the coolest MARTA station. It is carved out of granite and is deep…read moreunderground. I was meeting a friend nearby so I got off the train here. There were a lot of people wandering by the exit asking for money. There was also a wandering street lunatic who seemed potentially dangerous. Don't linger around the exit. The signage here was good for alerting you about inbound trains. I had purchased a round trip ticket earlier, so I did not have to deal with ticket vending machines here. My earlier experience was confusing, mostly due to the machine's UI.

MARTA - North Avenue Station is the one I always get off to go to Fox Theatre or Georgia Tech home…read morefootball games, because both are within walking distances. Also within walking distances to this station are The Varsity and Mary Mac's Tea Room. This station is average, regarding maintenance. It's a smaller station that's easy to get into and out of, with multiple entrances and exits. One entrance/exit is at North Avenue. Another entrance/exit is at an office building, near an indoor, two-level shopping center. There isn't a dedicated parking lot for MARTA. MARTA train riders have to use stairs, elevator or escalators to go down one level to get to the loading area. MARTA bus riders stay at the street level to get to the bus loading area. Concrete benches against the walls are available for train riders to sit on while waiting for their trains. Whenever it's hot inside the station, MARTA employees place large fans in place and turn them on to move the the air. This doesn't really help unless you're standing right in front of the fan (this comes from personal experience). Large colorful artwork hangs on the walls.

January 2024 S U M…read moreM A R Y Though I appreciate public transportation in the city, MARTA simply needs to expand its routes, the buses and trains need to be deep cleaned and we'd have a winner. T R A N S P O R T yes... Cute girls do take the bus! At least this girl who doesn't own a car. I currently live in Midtown and I pretty much walk everywhere I need to go but not everything is walking distance or it's just too cold. And on those days, I take public transportation. I grew up here and so I understand that Atlanta is not a huge public transportation city. I always had a car and drove, mainly because the public transportation doesn't go to enough places. I also feel that the stations are not monitored and guarded well enough, so I have time there is a worry of safety. On this particular day, I was just trying to go down the street to Ponce city market. It was about a six minute bus drive from the bus stop that I walked to. Unfortunately, there are literally no signs on the bus stop. All it says is MARTA in big capital letters. You don't see the bus number, you don't see the direction the bus is going. Nothing. (It isn't like this in Dallas!) So of course I got on the wrong bus and ended up being 30 minutes late to where I had to go. S E R V I C E The bus driver was really kind and we had a good laugh about me going the wrong way and overall he made me feel comfortable. A M B I E N C E Personally, within the last couple of years, I have gotten used to taking public transportation in different cities during different hours. Generally, I feel safe. I have never felt unsafe being on the MARTA in Atlanta. But I also don't take it that often. I do feel overall the MARTA could be more clean and the routes should be expanded. P R I C E This is my biggest gripe! You have to pay every time you change your mode of transportation. So when you go from train to bus, you have to pay again. If you go from bus to bus, you have to pay again. So if you have to take multiple modes of transportation you could end up paying Four times for a ticket just for one way. They should be time boxed. Tickets should be per a time limit with unlimited swipes. For example, and Dallas, tickets have a two or three hour time window or an all day ticket. In which you can ride as many trains in as many buses as you wish within the time window that you paid for. Often times, it doesn't just take one train or bus to get where you wanna go. Especially in Atlanta where the routes of MARTA are not well connected. They do have a monthly pass. They also have discounts for students, disabled persons and senior citizens. R A T I N G Three Stars off. Because of the price, disjointed routes and lack of info on bus signs .

Five Points MARTA Station is the only station where MARTA riders can transfer from the trains going…read morein the north/south directions to the east/west directions and vice versa. Because of this, it's the busiest train station, based on entries and exits, in the MARTA system. Employees try to keep this station clean, but with so many train riders passing through, the station is sometimes dirty. I personally have been in this station only to transfer to another train going in a different direction, and have never physically entered or exited the station using the gates. In this station, the north/south trains of the Red line and the north-east/south trains of the Gold line run on the tracks in the lower level. The east/west trains of the Green and the Blue lines run on the tracks in the upper level. Multiple escalators, stairways and elevators allow MARTA customers to move from one level to the other. Just a word of caution: If you're slow moving and you're transferring to another level, wait until most of the crowd gets ahead of you. Otherwise, you may get pushed and jostled by people hurrying to get by you. This is especially true if you're transferring to another train either before or after an event at either State Farm Arena, Mercedes-Benz Stadium or Georgia World Congress Center. Signage is accurate and helpful, but you have to know in which direction you want to travel to prevent confusion. Electronic signs in the stations let riders know the approximate remaining wait times for the arriving trains. A PA announcement lets everyone in the station which train is arriving. Both levels in this station are well lit, and there are few concrete benches to sit on while waiting for trains to arrive. Just like in every train station, MARTA customers need to ensure their safety by being aware of their surroundings and not stand too close to the train tracks.

It's been over a decade since I've ridden Marta and I was impressed how they've kept the prices…read morelow. It's only $2.50 per ride plus $1 for the ticket. You can go from any point A to point B for the same fare. It's very clean unlike other subway systems in the country (e.g. NYC) and the rules posted discourage any bad behavior. I took Marta most places while I was in Atlanta and never felt unsafe. It is a super-efficient and cost effective way to get around.

Atlanta has a streetcar that goes from downtown to Sweet Auburn. It gives you a nice tour of the…read morehistoric district. You can also go to Centennial Olympic Park. Convenient and cheap. The only bad thing is that it's slow. Good way for a tourist to get around. It isn't so much for a commuter. This can be incredibly slow. Because it follows tracks it can't change lanes if there's an obstruction. The drivers also often stop for long breaks, so don't be in a hurry to get somewhere. If you're just visiting for leisure it's good for looking around. It goes to many of the important places. This is also cheap so it's pretty okay for tourists.

This streetcar is not named desire, but then you can't have everything. Unless you really want…read moreeverything. Do you? OK we'll talk about it later. This cute streetcar wanders around Atlanta and is a little bit more for tourists than it is for locals. Nevertheless it's a really nice addition and reminds me of the South because I've seen similar things in Charlotte and other places. I'd give it a 3 star rating except that it's only a dollar and that's cool. So 4.

What a shit-show! They never have a plan for major events downtown. Tonight there was a record…read morebreaking attendance soccer game AND a WNBA game and the escalators at the Dome Station didn't work. We had to walk all the way up to Peachtree Station. Most incompetently run city rail system in the nation. EMBARRASSING!!!

Marta is hit-or-miss. Recently I'm finding that they have "mechanical issues" quite often, which…read morehave been resulting in long delays and subsequently, overcrowded train cars. I'm not sure if their due for system-wide maintenance or what, but these frequent inconveniences are no bueno. A few mitigating factors, however, make MARTA a pretty decent experience for the most part: Namely, the customer service reps actually answer the phone! It's refreshing to be able to speak to a live person when I have a concern. Additionally, it's definitely an effective alternative to having to deal with Atlanta's infamous traffic issue, as long as where you're going is near a station or bus stop. All in all, its ok... not the worst, not the best.