Gold Line (MARTA)

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Gold Line
A Gold Line train on the viaduct north of Arts Center station
Overview
StatusOperational
LocaleAtlanta, Georgia
Termini
Stations18 (4 Northeast, 6 North, Five Points, 7 South)
Service
TypeRapid transit
SystemMARTA rail
OperatorMARTA
Rolling stockSee MARTA rail#Rolling stock
History
Opened1981
Technical
Characterat grade, elevated, underground
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
ElectrificationThird rail, 750 V DC
Route map
Gold Line highlighted in gold Show interactive map

The Gold Line is a rapid transit line in the MARTA rail system. It operates between Doraville and Airport stations, running through Doraville, Chamblee, Brookhaven, Atlanta, East Point and College Park.

History

What is now the Gold and Red Lines' shared section was originally opened on December 4, 1981, as the North-South Line between Garnett and North Avenue.[1][2] On September 11, 1982, an infill station at Peachtree Center opened, while the North-South Line was extended south by one stop to West End station.[1][2] On December 18 the same year, the North-South Line was extended northward to Midtown and Arts Center.[1][2] On December 15, 1984, the Lakewood/​Fort McPherson, Oakland City, Lindbergh Center, Lenox, and Brookhaven (now Brookhaven/​Oglethorpe) stations all opened, with the last two being the first stations on what would become the Gold Line branch.[1][2] East Point station opened on August 16, 1986, followed by Chamblee on December 19, 1987, and the College Park and Airport on June 18, 1988.[1][2] The newest and northernmost station on the line, Doraville, opened on December 29, 1992.[1][2]

On June 8, 1996, MARTA added a new branch of the North-South Line, with stations at Buckhead, Medical Center, and Dunwoody.[1] To distinguish the two lines, the line to Dunwoody assumed the North-South Rail Line name,[3][4] while the line to Doraville became the Northeast-South Rail Line[5] (sometimes known as the Northeast Line for short).[3] However, both the North-South Line and the Northeast Line continued to be colored on maps in orange as a single North-South Rail Line[3][6] until December 2006, when the North-South Line began to be colored as red, and the Northeast Line as orange.[7]

In October 2009, MARTA introduced a color-coded system of naming rail lines, with the Northeast Line being renamed to the Yellow Line, and the color orange falling out of use.[8][9] However, in February 2010, the name was revised to Gold in order to address a concern among the Asian-American community in Doraville, which the line serves.[10]

Future

On March 25, 2024, Andre Dickens, the mayor of Atlanta, announced plans for four new infill stations on the MARTA rail network, with one of them, Murphy Crossing, being a station on the Red and Gold Lines' shared section. Murphy Crossing will be on the west side of the Atlanta Beltline.[11] On April 11, Dickens announced that another one of the four proposed stations will also be shared by the Red and Gold Lines: namely, Armour Yards, located near the similarly-named Armour Yard.[12]

Route

The Gold Line runs above ground, at grade and below ground in various portions of its route. It begins at the northeastern terminus, Doraville station in Doraville. The nonrevenue tracks extend northeastward from the station north of I-285. It then goes southwestward paralleling Peachtree Road in DeKalb County. Upon entering Atlanta in Buckhead, it crosses over the Red Line in the median of GA 400 before joining the Red Line, going southwest paralleling I-85. It turns south through Midtown and enters downtown Atlanta, where it meets the Blue and Green Lines at Five Points station. Leaving downtown, the Gold Line continues south, paralleling Lee Street and Main Street into East Point and College Park before reaching its terminus at the Airport station.

Stations

listed from northeast to south

Station Code Opened Rail Line
Transfer
Doraville[13]NE10December 29, 1992[1]
ChambleeNE9December 19, 1987[1]
Brookhaven/Oglethorpe[14]NE8December 15, 1984[1]
Lenox[15]NE7
Lindbergh Center[16]N6 Red 
Arts Center[17]N5December 18, 1982[1] Red 
Midtown[18]N4 Red 
North Avenue[19]N3December 4, 1981[1] Red 
Civic Center [20]N2 Red 
Peachtree Center[21]N1September 11, 1982[1][22] Red  Streetcar 
Five Points[note 1][23]December 4, 1981[1] Blue  Green  Red 
Garnett[24]S1 Red 
West End[25]S2September 11, 1982[1][2] Red 
Oakland City[26]S3December 15, 1984[1] Red 
Lakewood/Fort McPherson[27]S4 Red 
East Point[28]S5August 16, 1986 Red 
College Park[29]S6June 18, 1988.[30] Red 
AirportS7 Red 
  1. The east–west (now Blue/Green Line) platform opened in 1979.

References

  1. "nycsubway.org: Atlanta, Georgia". www.nycsubway.org. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  2. Sams, Douglas. "Jacoby eyes MARTA rail to Ford site". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  3. "Getting There on MARTA - Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority". Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority. Archived from the original on August 1, 2003. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
  4. "North-South Rail Line - MARTA". Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority. Archived from the original on August 10, 2003. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
  5. "Northeast-South Rail Line - MARTA". Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority. Archived from the original on August 10, 2003. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
  6. "MARTA - Getting There - Rail Schedules & Maps". Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority. Archived from the original on March 8, 2006. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
  7. "MARTA - Getting There - Rail Schedules & Maps". Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority. Archived from the original on December 29, 2006. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
  8. "MARTA launches color-coded rail system". www.metro-magazine.com. Metro Magazine. October 2, 2009. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  9. "Rail Stations & Schedules". www.itsmarta.com. Archived from the original on August 19, 2009. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  10. Ariel Hart (February 11, 2010). "MARTA changes "yellow" line to "gold"". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on February 14, 2010. Retrieved February 11, 2010.
  11. Hansen, Zachary (March 25, 2024). "Atlanta mayor announces 4 new MARTA rail stations, including near Beltline". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Cox Enterprises. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  12. Bunch, Riley (April 11, 2024). "Mayor Dickens announces locations of new Atlanta MARTA stations". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Cox Enterprises. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  13. "http://itsmarta.com/ne-dor-overview.aspx"
  14. "http://itsmarta.com/ne-bro-overview.aspx"
  15. "http://itsmarta.com/ne-len-overview.aspx"
  16. "http://itsmarta.com/ne-lin-overview.aspx"
  17. "http://itsmarta.com/ns-art-overview.aspx"
  18. "http://itsmarta.com/ns-mid-overview.aspx"
  19. "http://itsmarta.com/ns-nor-overview.aspx"
  20. "http://itsmarta.com/ns-civ-overview.aspx"
  21. "http://itsmarta.com/ns-pea-overview.aspx"
  22. "Peachtree Center Station Tour https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DDOKOpKmJA"
  23. "Five Points Station Tour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkLKot2vk3Y"
  24. "http://itsmarta.com/ns-gar-overview.aspx"
  25. "http://itsmarta.com/ns-wes-overview.aspx"
  26. "http://itsmarta.com/ns-oak-overview.aspx"
  27. "http://itsmarta.com/ns-lak-overview.aspx"
  28. "http://itsmarta.com/ns-eas-overview.aspx"
  29. "College Park Station http://itsmarta.com/ns-col-overview.aspx"
  30. "Airport Station Tour https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNcj6GOTen0"
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