KEY POINTS
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The proposed three-route light-rail system carries a planning-level estimate of $3.5 billion in 2025 dollars following a multi-year transit study.
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The CSX alignment is the locally preferred alternative for the northwest quadrant, while stations are recommended across the southwest and southeast corridors.
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Funding, design and engineering work with the City of Atlanta and MARTA are the next major steps before construction can advance.
Atlanta Beltline presented the proposal during a Sept. 3, 2026, citywide conversation. The estimate, officials indicated, is a planning-level figure rather than a final construction cost.
Study Focus on Three Beltline Quadrants
Atlanta Beltline is one of the largest urban redevelopment efforts in the United States, according to officials. Built along a historic 22-mile railroad corridor, it combines public parks, multi-use trails, transit and affordable housing to improve mobility, connect intown neighborhoods and expand economic opportunity and sustainability.
Funded by the Federal Transit Administration, the study consolidates prior planning work for high-capacity transit along the Beltline corridor.
The final recommendations cover the northwest, southwest and southeast quadrants and coordinate with MARTA, the region’s public transit agency, on separate planning work in the Northeast Beltline Quadrant.
CSX Alignment Selected for Northwest Quadrant
For the northwest quadrant, the study team recommends the CSX alignment as the locally preferred alternative. The alignment refers to the specific route and track configuration a railroad follows between two points.
The study found that the alignment would provide faster average speeds, shorter travel times, higher projected ridership and lower capital costs than the other alternatives. It also would provide direct service to bustling Piedmont Hospital.
The recommendation is significant because the northwest portion is the most complex segment and lacks a continuous existing rail corridor that could accommodate transit alongside the Beltline trail.
The alignment also matters because it determines where future tracks, stations and related construction would be built. The route still requires additional design, engineering, funding and coordination before construction can proceed.
Atlanta Beltline officials are proposing a three-route light-rail system with a projected capital cost of $3.5 billion, according to the organization’s final Beltline Transit Study. Atlanta Beltline presented the proposal during a Sept. 3, 2026, citywide conversation. Image: Atlanta Beltline
Stations Planned Across Southwest and Southeast Atlanta
The proposal includes adding 13 stations across southwest and southeast Atlanta, with stops near Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway, Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard, Murphy Avenue, Pittsburgh Yards, Hank Aaron Drive and Glenwood Avenue, among other locations.
The Murphy Avenue station would provide access to the proposed Murphy Crossing mixed-use redevelopment. Atlanta Beltline is also studying a potential MARTA heavy-rail infill station at Murphy Crossing — meaning a new station added along an existing rail line — but that separate project would require additional feasibility, design and cost analysis.
Three Routes and 4.2 Million Projected Annual Riders
The proposed operating plan includes three bidirectional routes: a Beltline Loop serving the full corridor, plus Northern and Southern loops providing connections into Downtown Atlanta. Service would run 18.5 hours per day, from 6 a.m. to 12:30 a.m.
Each route would operate every 20 minutes, producing service every 10 minutes where routes overlap. The plan is designed to provide a one-seat ride throughout the system and connections to new MARTA heavy-rail stations added along existing rail lines.
Using the Federal Transit Administration’s Simplified Trips-on-Project Software, the study projects approximately 4.2 million annual riders. The modeling estimates that 40% of riders would be transit-dependent, 55% of trips would be made at infill stations and 21% would represent new transit trips.
Funding and Engineering are the Next Major Hurdles
Atlanta Beltline officials said the next phase will focus on pursuing funding and advancing the planning and engineering needed to move the light-rail proposal forward.
The organization will work with the City of Atlanta and MARTA, whose continued partnership and funding will be necessary for implementation.
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