Many travelers in metro Atlanta choosing rail over roads, air this Memorial Day weekend
Memorial Day weekend will mark the start of the summer travel season. For many travelers in metro Atlanta, they are choosing the rails over roads.
Many holiday travelers who spoke to CBS Atlanta on Friday said train rides are beating the stress of driving during the holiday weekend, especially with the cost of riding MARTA.
"It's $2.50 compared to an Uber ride," MARTA traveler Amy Williams said.
Williams flew into Atlanta from Chicago to visit family this holiday weekend. She caught the Marta train from the airport.
"We are going to the Jazz Festival down here. Then, I'll cook on Monday," she said.
A spokesperson for MARTA says they expect to see an uptick in travelers this weekend, expecting up to 10,000 travelers each day during the Memorial Day weekend. That's about 2,000 more travelers than on an average Saturday or Sunday.
"It was not too busy for me, and it's also our first time in Atlanta for all of us," MARTA traveler Adhyot Singh said.
He said he chose MARTA because his friend said it was the cheapest way to travel in the city right now.
Over at Atlanta's Amtrak station, passengers are choosing the train over the airways.
"It was mostly convenient. When it comes to traveling through the airplanes, you have to pay so much more. Here, it just felt more economical with all the baggage," Christina Diaz said.
Diaz says gas prices played a role in their decision to take the Amtrak.
"Driving up to DC didn't seem very economical since it was pretty far away. With the gas prices, trains seem to be the more logical option," Diaz said.
If you plan to hit the roads this Memorial Day weekend, you should prepare for heavier traffic. Thankfully, the Department of Transportation has suspended all interstate lane closuresstatewide until Tuesday morning to help with congestion.
