MARTA hits pause on Five Points Station renovation plans

Caption

A rendering of the proposed renovation to Five Points Station.

Credit: Courtesy MARTA

MARTA announced Wednesday afternoon that it would pause “service impacts” at Five Points Station scheduled to begin this weekend as part of a $230 million renovation project.

The announcement comes after weeks of pushback from Mayor Andre Dickens, the Atlanta City Council, Central Atlanta Progress, and a rally at the station last week in protest of the revamp.

MARTA released this statement:

While we continue to engage with Mayor Dickens on the Five Points Transformation Project, we are pausing the immediate implementation of service impacts. Eight downtown bus routes that were scheduled to relocate this Saturday, July 6, will remain stationed out of Five Points, and customer impacts scheduled for July 29 will be paused. 

As stated previously, design issues and decades of water intrusion have led to damage throughout the station, including to critical electric train control equipment, and the safety of our customers will continue to be our top priority. To hear more about the design flaws from the original architect and see the ongoing water intrusion and damage, click HERE.

MARTA remains steadfast in our belief that removal and replacement of the canopy is the best option, and one that was approved by our partners at the City of Atlanta. We pledge to continue working with the Mayor and other stakeholders to deliver these critical infrastructure and safety improvements, enhance the customer experience, and keep Atlanta moving forward as a world-class destination.

The renovation, which would be paid for by the More MARTA sales tax collection, would close the station for four years. An audit of the More MARTA program demanded by the city is still ongoing with a final report expected this month. 

In its original announcement about the closure, MARTA said there would be no pedestrian access and bus routes would be moved to other nearby stations for the duration of the project.

Stakeholders said the closure of MARTA’s busiest station to buses and pedestrians would cause hardship for those who rely on transit as well as impact the 2026 World Cup matches.

This story comes to GPB through a reporting partnership with Rough Draft Atlanta.