Atlanta needs help from the state and federal government for expanding rail transit. Will we get it?
By Darin Givens | April 22, 2026
This is a beautiful image of what passenger-rail expansion could look like in Atlanta!
But that comment ("if the suburbs weren't evil") needs a rethink. At this point, it's hard to know where the fault is when it comes to the lack of MARTA expansion into the suburbs.
Is it really the fault of Cobb and Gwinnett voters and leaders? That was probably the case 10 years ago and earlier. But things are very different now due to the frustrating failure of rail in Clayton.
Clayton County -- which rejected MARTA in the 1970s -- finally joined the system several years ago so they could have bus service and, eventually, rail.
But MARTA wasn't able to build rail into the county. They gave it a try, but Norfolk Southern rejected sharing their Right of Way (ROW) with MARTA trains on the ground. And tunneling underground is massively expensive.
How expensive? Take a look at the costs of tunneling in the second graphic, from a 2019 article in Marketplace.
It's possible for MARTA to apply for federal money to help pay for this, but criteria has to be met to justify federal grants and there's a lot of competition for that money. Realistically, suburban expansion of rail will be above ground.
So instead of rail, Clayton is getting Bus Rapid Transit, which will require construction of lanes and reduction of road widths devoted to cars -- a political hurdle in itself. A major question we need to ask is: why didn't the state government get involved and try to broker a deal with Norfolk Southern, or else offer ROW along interstate highways for MARTA to build on?
That's exactly the kind of help that's needed.
The onus is now on the federal and state governments and freight rail companies to deliver some ROW for rail expansion into Atlanta suburbs, whether it's on the ground or elevated. I can't tell you what that cooperation looks like, but I know it has to happen.
Tunneling is only going to find funding in limited, critical circumstances, and it's not practical for suburban routes.
To expand rail transit on the ground, whether on freight corridors or on freeway ROW, we need help beyond just getting suburban voters on board. The situation is 'evil', no doubt. But there's a lot of blame to go around and much of it should go to leaders who haven't done the work of finding ROW for expansion.
Sources:
https://x.com/alanthefisher/status/2047010960284516387
https://www.marketplace.org/story/2019/04/11/subways-us-expensive-cost-comparison
