A total of $6 million has officially been approved by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp for the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA).
The funding will support a station renovation that will ultimately improve rail service on the East/West Line and support economic development along the corridor, which stretches from Northwest Atlanta into DeKalb County.
“MARTA is thrilled to see the partnership with the state of Georgia develop in this way with the leadership of Gov. Kemp,” said MARTA General Manager and CEO Jeffrey Parker. “Speaker Ralston and the Senate’s vision around transit and economic development in metro Atlanta have earned the support of the governor and we believe the FY22 budget and line item for MARTA are a strong start to the new chapter in the story of MARTA and the state of Georgia.”
The funding for MARTA’s station transformation at Bankhead comes from a new source of state revenue, the $.50 fee on for-hire ground transportation trips that the General Assembly established last year, with the intent to direct it to support transit capital projects.
The governor included this new directed funding in the “Trust Fund” legislation, HB 511, creating the Transit Trust Fund as one of 10 trust funds, along with the Hazardous Waste and Solid Waste Trust Funds. Pre-COVID-19 estimates of this new transit revenue were around $40 million annually.
MARTA says for-hire ground transportation fees afford Georgia yet another recruitment tool to align local and state financial resources to best promote the state for economic development purposes.
