The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) is exploring a large-scale Automated Transit Network (ATN) to improve mobility in one of the region’s most complex and fast-growing areas, around the airport in the south region of metro Atlanta. The possibilities were vast and the technology still emerging, and MARTA needed a structured, defensible way to narrow multiple potential corridors into a few high-value, feasible options that balanced vision, cost, and community impact.
As part of the project team, Foursquare ITP designed a two-tier evaluation process that first tested each route against MARTA’s long-term vision and access goals, then rigorously examined the top candidates for performance, constructability, financial feasibility, and sustainability. Pairing technical analysis with ongoing stakeholder and governance input, the team turned a broad set of concepts into a focused, actionable shortlist.
The screening narrowed an initial set of eight conceptual routes to three priority corridors, with stakeholders voting on the optimal route to advance. MARTA now has a clear, stakeholder-supported path forward: three high-potential ATN corridors that are strategically aligned, technically viable, and ready for detailed study.
Solutions and Outcomes
- Developed a systemwide ATN Build-Out Concept identifying viable route alternatives serving key destinations in the south metro/airport area.
- Created and applied a two-tiered evaluation framework to narrow alternatives based on strategic fit and feasibility.
- Measured routes against network connectivity and access to population and jobs to support regional mobility goals.
- Advanced the top three routes into a detailed feasibility review of performance, constructability, cost, and community impact.
- Integrated stakeholder and governance committee feedback into route screening and refinement.