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PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release:
Thursday, January 30, 2025
Council for Quality Growth Hosts 500+ at 2025 State of MARTA Event
Collie Greenwood Reveals New ‘Smiling’ MARTA Train Car at Lindbergh Station
ATLANTA, GA – On Thursday, January 30, 2025, the Council for Quality Growth and Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) hosted the 2025 State of MARTA, a 2-part event that unveiled the new fleet of MARTA train cars before an address and presentation from Collie Greenwood, MARTA’s General Manager & CEO. More than 500 attendees from across the region and state joined the Council at Lindbergh Station for the train car reveal before gathering at Uptown Atlanta for the seated program and breakfast event. The 2025 State of MARTA was presented by Axis, VHB, and WSP. Guests included Council for Quality Growth members, local elected officials, transit and transportation industry professionals, regional businesses, partner organizations, and riders of MARTA.
The event started on the train platform at Lindbergh Station with the first ever showing of MARTA’s upgraded and redesigned train cars. The train arrived on the southbound track with Collie Greenwood in tow. New features on the trains include upgraded lighting, seating, digital displays, charging station, cameras, and noise monitors. The exterior of cars features a red, gold, green, or blue lighted “smile” that denotes the color of the rail line it services. The trains were designed and developed by Stadler Rail. The full fleet arrived in Atlanta last year and is expected to be released into revenue service by 2026.
A drum line led Greenwood and guests inside Uptown Atlanta for his first State of MARTA Address since being named General Manager & CEO in late 2022.Greenwood discussed MARTA’s “next stop” and the “future of transit” that riders can expect in addition to new trains. “In the future,” he said, “MARTA will be at the heart of it all, providing safe, clean, and reliable transit to metro Atlantans.” The new fleet is the first step towards “revolutionizing” the MARTA rail experience. With it, riders will begin to see a new communications-based train control system to improve safety and performance and an automated fare collection system that accepts credit cards and smartphones at the turnstiles. “This means no more wondering where you put your Breeze card or waiting in lines to reload your fare,” said Greenwood.
[Collie Greenwood delivers the 2025 State of MARTA Address at Uptown Atlanta]
He also announced a $1 billion investment to enhance all 38 rail stations. These enhancements include brighter lights, new station seating, deep cleaning, repaving, elevators, “smart” restrooms, and more. These upgrades can already be seen at Airport, Five Points, Brookhaven, East Lake, Lenox, and Indian Creek stations. These enhancements come with 2 new MARTA business units focused on cleaner and more maintained rail stations across the entire network. “In just a few years from now,” he said, “our customers will be able to enjoy a state-of-the-art transit nexus in our transformed Five Points Station.” Greenwood says he is also working to enhance the customer experience with upgraded station information screens and a brand-new MARTA mobile app and website.
The MARTA CEO also talked about MARTA Rapid and the 60-foot purple electric vehicles that will first launch in Summerhill’s “Rapid A Line” next year. These extensions of MARTA’s service will “zip past traffic in dedicated or premium lanes in every Rapid corridor developed.” Additional MARTA Rapid lines are planned for Campbellton Road and Clifton corridor in Atlanta as well as Southlake and State Route 54 in Clayton County. Bus and arterial rapid transit lines are part of the vision to further connect people to jobs and employment centers and to keep Atlanta on the map for economic investment regionally.
He shared MARTA’s past successes, including extended bus routes and a new operations and maintenance facility in Clayton County that has generated over 350 full time jobs, an apprenticeship program that helps bus technicians build rewarding careers, an 84% decline in rail safety events last year that earned MARTA a national recognition as an industry leader in transit safety, and progress of the MARTA Hope initiative which connects unhoused Atlantans with shelter, housing, jobs, services, and more in a dignified way. Greenwood addressed the regional housing affordability crisis. His transit-oriented development program works to transform the areas around MARTA stations to “create opportunities for all people of all income levels to live and thrive near transit.”
Greenwood says MARTA’s biggest challenge ahead is the complete overhaul and redesign of the existing bus system. MARTA is actively seeking community input for the NextGen Bus Network. The goal is to implement a more frequent and reliable bus system that comes every 15 minutes or less for every rider. Greenwood has his eyes set on the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Superbowl as major milestones to put “the future of transit” to the test. “Transit is a value proposition that continues to increase as time goes on,” said Greenwood. “And MARTA will continue to be the backbone of metro Atlanta’s transit network.”
The Council for Quality Growth’s State of MARTA convenes the region’s business community with its local government bodies and other local leaders every other year. The Council has a deep history as an advocate for transit, from local communities to the Gold Dome, working year-round for transit and mobility expansion across the region. “The Council’s platform for moving forward is centered on growth,” said Clyde Higgs, the Council’s 2025 Board Chair and President & CEO of the Atlanta Beltline. “That growth includes the growth of our transit network, fueled by the partnerships and communities that are right here in this crowd today.” Michael Paris, President & CEO of the Council added, “now is a crucial time for increased investment in our transit network with 2 million more people moving to this region in the next 25 years. The Council will continue to support the efforts of MARTA to deliver safe, clean, reliable, and equitable transit across the region.”
[From left: Michael Paris, Clyde Higgs, Collie Greenwood, Jennifer Ide, Dean Collins, Jordan Myers, Mike Carragher]
The State of MARTA program also featured remarks from Jennifer Ide, Board Chair of MARTA and Chief Legal and Financial Officer at Rimidi, Inc. and Mahesh Mani, Senior VP of Asset Management at Rubenstein Partners. Presenting sponsor, Axis, provided a video presentation, and Michael Carragher, Chair & CEO of VHB, and Jordan Myers, Senior Vice President and Georgia Transportation Business Lead of WSP, delivered remarks on behalf of their businesses.
The full recording and photo gallery from the event will be made available in the coming days at https://www.councilforqualitygrowth.org/news-press/
About the State of the County/Agency Series
The Council for Quality Growth hosts 10 ‘State of’ events across the region, including 8 counties and 2 agencies. We work in close collaboration with the office of the County Chairs in Cherokee, Clayton, DeKalb, Douglas, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry, and Rockdale, as well as with leadership at MARTA and the Atlanta Beltline, to provide a platform for our counties and agency partners deliver an update on achievements, projects, and the future that is specifically geared toward the business community and the Council’s membership. A full calendar of the Council’s 2025 Signature Events, including the State of the County/Agency series, can be viewed and downloaded here: 2025 Programs Calendar
About the Council for Quality Growth
The Council for Quality Growth is a trade organization that works to ensure continued growth and economic success for generations to come by providing advocacy, information, and education to its members. In its 40th year, the Council is committed to the mission of promoting balanced and responsible growth and is proactively involved in the formulation of policy and legislation critical to the growth and development industry. The Council addresses, head-on, strategic economic planning, infrastructure needs, and tough quality-of-life issues throughout the metro Atlanta region and state. For more information, please visit http://www.councilforqualitygrowth.org.
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Read coverage by AJC: https://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta-news/marta-unveils-its-futuristic-new-train-cars/JEC6OGPADRDEBA4RA2JD4VS56E/