Comments on: Morning Metro: Kavarna’s Gas Past, Old Fourth Ward Featured, and MARTA Wants to Expose Itself

By: Sharron

Sharron — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 03:24:06 +0000

Thank you for the clarification on my point. Perhaps the long trains I’ve seen are the max 8 cars. And the fact that all cars can also move the train means there’s on;y a need for qualified drivers to shorten the trains and run them more frequently.

By: Steve

Steve — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 20:01:15 +0000

MARTA runs a maximum of 6 car trains, so the ones you see with more may be in the process of being transferred from one place to another with no passengers. The platforms were designed for a maximum of 8 car trains. And, there are no “engines” on MARTA; all cars are self-propelled, operated from the first car in the line.

By: Sharron

Sharron — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 19:06:34 +0000

Same old subject with MARTA … Would be nice to answer the “are we overstaffed” question. When I see 10-12 railcars on one engine running every 15-20, I question where is the over-staffing. Certainly not with heavy rail drivers. With additional engines and drivers the trains can be shortened to 4-5 cars and run every 4-5 minutes. That’s the way to increase ridership. Train arrives, doors open, doors close, and off we go. Works just like the underground transit system at the Atlanta airport and like metros in NYC, Washington, DC & Chicago. Wasting time waiting on the train only discourages people from using the system. And the poor sole who has to change lines at 5-Points! In the busy lives of today, who has an extra hour to waste waiting for transportation when that same person can get in a car and go?

By: parento

parento — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 19:01:27 +0000

4th Ward playground (and splash pad in summer) is THE BEST PLAYGROUND around. It’s not far from Decatur, is perfect for families with kids of multi-ages. My 3 kids – spread by 7 years will all play there willingly. You can spend hours there – the playground, the path along the waterfalls, etc, etc. And there are open, clean restrooms and water fountains! You can get to it off easily from DEC on Ponce or DeKalb Ave…

By: Toml

Toml — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 16:36:09 +0000

Ha! A shout-out to the new skate park in the Old Fourth Ward.