MARTA Planning and Development--The Early Days of Rapid Transit

The current shape of Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) dates back to the 1960s after the Metropolitan Atlanta Transit Study Commission released its recommendations for an extensive transit system in Atlanta and the surrounding suburbs. These documents show some of the responses to the proposed rail and bus systems and give us a picture of MARTA's early development, community responses and concerns, as well as providing a window into transit issues for a major metropolitan area. Many of these same concerns are echoed today.