FTA launches investigation into MARTA safety and security spending, protocols
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has launched an investigation into the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA). The investigation will review the transit agency’s security spending, safety protocols and risks to riders and workers. The administration launched the investigation on the heels of two attacks on MARTA property in a week’s time:
- On May 30, a 66-year-old woman was fatally stabbed 20 times by a man while riding a MARTA train.
- On May 24, a 40-year-old man was stabbed multiple times following an altercation in a MARTA station.
"No one should be forced to fear for their safety simply because they choose to ride public transit," said U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. “From our nation’s capital to Chicago, we’ve made substantial progress in holding systems accountable and enhancing security for transit workers and riders.”
MARTA's rate of personal security events (assaults, robberies, rapes, etc.) for MARTA employees and riders is nearly twice the national average, according to the FTA. On MARTA’s rail lines, the rate is three-and-a-half times higher than the national average, according to the administration.
The FTA investigation seeks to determine if systemic conditions exist that endanger the public or transit workforce on the Atlanta system.
The administration says that Duffy has launched several initiatives to hold both states and transit systems accountable for the safety of their systems.
Under his leadership, FTA has called on agencies across the country to improve safety measures, including:
- The Chicago Transit Authority
- The Washington Metropolitan Area Transportation Authority (WMATA)
- The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA)
- The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (L.A. Metro)
- Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS)
- The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA)
These actions have resulted in:
- CTA agreed to boost police patrols by 75% under a new security plan.
- WMATA seeing crime reported on its trains down by more than 30% and criminal incidents on buses down by nearly 40% in 2025, according to FTA.
- Charlotte City Council voting to expand the jurisdiction for the private security company that patrols CATS, as well as the state of North Carolina passing Iryna’s Law, which seeks to change pretrial release conditions for people charged with violent offenses, among other measures.
- L.A. Metro hiring their first police chief to lead a dedicated transit police force.
- SEPTA launching new security measures, including a virtual patrol division to monitor over 30,000 cameras and provide real-time information to officers on the ground and putting more officers on trains.
- San Francisco’s Bay Area Rapid Transit system installing Next Generation Fare Gates at all 50 BART stations to combat fare evasion.