MARTA outlines next-gen bus plan and project timelines, faces council questions on Campbellton and Summerhill

At a Jan. 15 Atlanta City Council Transportation Committee meeting, MARTA Chief Capital Officer Carrie Rocha gave a quarterly briefing on operations, capital projects and the agency’s NextGen bus network redesign, describing service improvements that began in December and a slate of capital projects that are in design, procurement or construction phases.

The presentation outlined MARTA’s goals to improve rail headways and redesign the bus network to provide more frequent, ridership‑focused service. Rocha said MARTA started rail service improvements Dec. 16 to add trains during core hours, and described a draft bus map the agency says would give 21% more jobs reachable within 60 minutes and provide more frequent service to about three times as many residents in some corridors. “The draft redesigned bus map provides access to 21% more jobs within 60 minutes or less for the average commuter,” Rocha said.

The agency also reviewed specific capital efforts: Cleveland Avenue (repackaging after a nonresponsive bid), Summerhill BRT (construction and unexpected shallow utility issues), Clifton Quarter (early feasibility work on an Armour Yards connection), Campbellton BRT (capital investment grant submitted and at 30% design) and station rehab work including 5‑Points and Airport Station. Rocha said MARTA has spent about $36.5 million in FY25 and $137 million to date on capital projects through November, and that some projects have encountered site conditions that affect schedule and cost.

Why it matters: the presentation maps near‑term service changes and long‑range capital investments that affect transit access across Atlanta. Council members used the briefing to press MARTA about delivery dates, construction impacts and neighborhood connectivity, especially for major projects with long timelines.

Council questions and concerns

Several council members pushed MARTA on schedules and local impacts. Councilmember [First reference: Byron Amos, chair, Atlanta City Council Transportation Committee] led the meeting; Councilmember Dozer and Councilmember Marcy Carla Overstreet pressed MARTA about the Summerhill utility discoveries and construction sequencing. Rocha said crews discovered shallow feeder lines, an abandoned underground parking deck and old trolley tracks along parts of Summerhill, requiring coordination with the Department of Watershed Management and the State Historic Preservation Office. “We are working on a block by block detour plan for the shallow utility work between Ormond Street and Carver Station,” she said.

Councilmember Dozer raised particular concern about the Campbellton BRT schedule after a slide showing revenue service dates into 2030. Councilmember Moleskre said she opposed labeling Campbellton last for delivery and told MARTA to revisit sequencing; Moleskre said, “There is no contingency. 30 is the problem.” Rocha replied the agency is pushing to deliver the project as early in 2030 as feasible and described factors that influenced the schedule, including federal environmental review assumptions and earlier pauses for mode decisions.

Other items discussed

- NextGen bus network: Rocha described the draft map’s ridership focus, the inclusion of on‑demand transit zones and a public comment period through winter and early spring. She said the redesign is funded with core penny dollars and that hours and miles in the redesign were kept within the existing core penny budget. "This network redesign is fully funded by core penny," she said.

- Cleveland Avenue BRT and Campbellton BRT: Cleveland was repackaged after receiving an excessively high bid; MARTA expects an IFB and is targeting Q2 construction start and revenue service by summer 2028. Campbellton is at 30% design and listed a total budget of $319.5 million; MARTA submitted a Capital Investment Grant and is awaiting federal review.

- Station and system projects: MARTA continues station rehabs (5‑Points, Airport) and reported work at East Lake, including replacement of a pedestrian bridge. Airport Station rehab work is expected to complete in spring 2026.

- Safety and workforce concerns: Rocha told the committee MARTA is coordinating with the union ATU 732 after the recent fatal attack on a MARTA operator, saying the agency is “committed to working with our union…to make sure these kinds of incidents never happen again.”

Public engagement and transit‑oriented development

Rocha said MARTA is coordinating TOD work at Oakland City and Bankhead, and that the agency is meeting with the mayor’s office and other partners. She described public outreach events for Campbellton and other projects and urged council members to direct constituents to the NextGen comment portal.

What’s next

Rocha said the agency is finalizing design and procurement steps for many projects and will return with updated schedules as permitting, NEPA and federal grant reviews progress. Council members asked for continued, specific updates on timelines, permits and detour plans as construction moves into downtown and other high‑activity areas.