Atlanta City Council backs light rail along full 22-mile Beltline loop

The Atlanta City Council voted unanimously Monday to back a plan that could move the long-debated question of light rail on the Atlanta Beltline closer to a decision on whether and how to build it.

Council members approved the resolution 14-0, affirming the city's support for light rail along the full 22-mile Beltline corridor and calling on the mayor's office to work with MARTA, Atlanta Beltline, Inc., and other city departments on next steps to implement and fund the project.

The resolution does not authorize construction or commit the city to spending billions of dollars on rail. Instead, it calls for city officials and transit agencies to report back by Jan. 26, 2027, with implementation and funding information.

Councilmember Kelsea Bond, who authored the resolution, said the goal is to bring clarity to a project she believes has been left uncertain for too long.

"Beltline rail has felt like it's in limbo for about a year and a half to voters all over the city," Bond told CBS Atlanta. "And we owe it to them to at least tell them what's coming next.  How are we going to fund it?  What is the plan?  Whether we're doing it at all?"

That uncertainty intensified after Mayor Andre Dickens withdrew his support last year for the planned Atlanta Streetcar extension onto the Eastside Beltline.  Bond said the mayor's office has since expressed support for her resolution and continues to support Beltline rail more broadly, though not necessarily as originally envisioned.

"Really what this resolution is doing is calling for a next step," Bond said.  "It's calling to move the conversation forward.  And I think everybody agrees that we owe that conversation to Atlanta voters."

The resolution comes just weeks after Atlanta Beltline released the final recommendations of a multiyear transit study examining light rail along the corridor.

The proposed system includes three routes:  a Beltline Loop running around the full corridor and Northern and Southern routes providing connections into downtown Atlanta.

The study estimates the capital cost of that three-route system at approximately $3.5 billion in 2025 dollars.  It projects about 4.2 million rides annually and calls for trains to operate in both directions for 18.5 hours a day, with service roughly every 10 minutes at platforms where routes overlap.

Atlanta Beltline says additional funding, planning and engineering would be necessary before the system could move forward.

For opponents of Beltline rail, the cost is central to the debate.

Hans Klein, president of Better Atlanta Transit and an associate professor of public policy at Georgia Tech, argues Atlanta should invest its transit dollars elsewhere.

"You're taking $3.5 billion and putting it all in one system, and run it around a circumferential route in the city," Klein told CBS Atlanta.  "So we could spend public money much better."

Klein said he does not dispute that rail could make it easier for people to travel among destinations along the Beltline.  His objection is whether the benefit would justify the cost.

"I don't dispute that it's going to do something," Klein said. "It's really just the expense of doing it."

Better Atlanta Transit has advocated for transit to the Beltline rather than rail on it.  Klein said he would prefer investments in bus rapid transit, trolleys and other rubber-wheeled transportation that could cross the city and connect more neighborhoods directly with destinations.

"I think you want to invest in transit technologies that give you more bang for your buck," Klein said.  "You want them crisscrossing the city where the demand is people."

"Some people need to go around the city on the Beltline loop," he added, "but the majority of transit demand is in crisscrossing the city."

Supporters of Beltline rail argue transit was part of the project's original vision and that years of planning have already been devoted to determining how rail could be incorporated into the corridor.

Bond said Monday's resolution is intended to move that debate beyond whether the concept exists and toward a clearer answer about what Atlanta intends to do with it.

"This resolution specifically, it affirms Atlanta City Council support for all 22 miles of light rail on the Atlanta Beltline trail," Bond said.  "And it also asks the mayor's office to work with MARTA and the Atlanta Beltline, Inc. to come up with an implementation plan by the end of January."