Atlanta councilmember pushes for plan to build 22-mile Beltline light rail loop

A new Atlanta City Council proposal is trying to put the Beltline rail back on track by asking city leaders for a clear plan and timeline to build it.

Councilmember Kelsea Bond plans to introduce a resolution Tuesday supporting 22 miles of light rail around the full Atlanta Beltline loop. The trains would run on tracks alongside the popular walking and biking trail and connect with MARTA.

The proposal asks Mayor Andre Dickens' administration to work with MARTA, Atlanta Beltline Inc. and city departments to present an implementation plan by Jan. 26, 2027. It also requests updates every three months on the project's progress.

The resolution would not approve construction or provide money for the rail system.

"We cannot keep kicking this can down the road," Bond said in a statement. "It's time to make good on our promise to voters and build Beltline Rail."

The proposal comes days after Atlanta Beltline Inc. presented the final recommendations from its three-year Beltline Transit Study.

The study outlines a light rail system operating from 6 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. each day. Its three routes would include a full Beltline loop and smaller northern and southern loops, with trains reaching platforms about every 10 minutes where routes overlap.

The proposed system could generate about 4.2 million passenger boardings each year, according to projections presented with the study. Planners described that estimate as intentionally conservative.

What Atlanta's Beltline light rail plan would look like

Transit has long been part of the 22-mile Beltline vision, but the rail project has faced delays and political opposition. Dickens withdrew his support for the proposed Eastside Streetcar extension in early 2025, and a MARTA committee later voted to stop construction work on that portion of the project.

Bond's proposal also opposes using land reserved for Beltline transit in ways that could block rail construction or make it more difficult and expensive later.

Supporters say the completed rail loop would connect 45 neighborhoods, 20 schools and three major parks with MARTA. Critics have raised concerns about the project's cost and its effect on businesses and the existing trail.

The resolution is expected to go before the City Council's Community Development and Human Services Committee on Sept. 15 and Transportation Committee on Sept. 16. If it advances, the full council could vote Sept. 21.