Beltline rail advocates are celebrating a small victory after Atlanta City Council member Kelsea Bond introduced a resolution in support of light rail transit along the 22-mile corridor.
Matthew Rao, Beltline Rail Now co-chair, said the council’s recognition of light rail transit as a central component of the adopted Atlanta Beltline vision is “new and significant.”
Nine council members are sponsoring the resolution. Rao said this is a call for Mayor Andre Dickens, the Atlanta Beltline Initiative, and MARTA to finally put into action what Atlanta voters approved in 2016.
“This is the governance our city needs to combat the affordability, mobility, and sustainability crisis we face,” Beltline Rail Now wrote in a statement. “It is a bold moral step toward realizing the goals of the Beltline project and delivering the essential infrastructure component that voters and taxpayers have supported and paid for.”
The resolution requests that Dickens’ office, MARTA, and Atlanta Beltline Inc. collaborate to present an implementation plan and timeline to construct Beltline Rail by January 2027.
In 2016, 71% of Atlanta voters approved a sales tax for transit, including roughly $235 million earmarked for Beltline light rail. Dickens’ ran for mayor on a pro-transit platform in 2021, aiming to complete the project by 2030.
In 2025, Dickens withdrew his support for Beltline rail along the busy Eastside Trail that would have connected the existing Atlanta Streetcar to Ponce City Market. Instead, Dickens said he wanted to focus transit on the Southside, “where you can quickly deliver and are aligned with areas that have more need for public transit.”
Dickens is also pushing for 13 new infill MARTA stations along the existing rail line to help bridge the gap between the Beltline and public transit.
The Beltline is currently conducting a pilot program on the Westside, with an autonomous shuttle service running between Atlanta University Center and the Lee+White shopping/dining district along the Beltline.
Bond said there’s never been a more important time to expand public transit.
“Atlanta is only growing hotter and less affordable by the year. Families are struggling to make ends meet, and barriers to transit access continue to exacerbate these struggles. We cannot keep kicking this can down the road. It’s time to make good on our promise to voters and build Beltline Rail,” Bond said.
On Sept. 3, Beltline officials presented final recommendations for a $3.5 billion light-rail network around the 22-mile loop with connections into Downtown Atlanta. No timeline was offered for completion.
Open meetings will continue as Bond and Atlanta Democratic Socialists are set to discuss the Beltline on Sept. 11 at Hop City West End. Atlanta City Council members will review the resolution in committee on Sept. 15 and Sept. 16.
“As the discussion of the resolution begins next week in committee, we will see who else signs on and what issues come to the surface,” Rao said.
Collin Kelley contributed to this article.
