A Ride on the Atlanta Streetcar

Atlanta Streetcar

I had some spare time and decided to walk several blocks and ride as a passenger on the new Atlanta Streetcar, which has been in operation for approximately one year.

Atlanta Streetcar Experience

I boarded the streetcar at the Peachtree Center station, as it had conveniently arrived just as I arrived. All stations are located outdoors.

Atlanta Streetcar
Photograph ©2015 by Brian Cohen.

The streetcar had few people on it when I boarded; but at one point along the way, it did get fairly crowded with passengers.

There were a few stations along the way where the streetcar inexplicably spent at least five minutes despite no activity amongst passengers either boarding onto — or disembarking from — the streetcar.

Atlanta Streetcar
Photograph ©2015 by Brian Cohen.

The seats were not the most comfortable; but they sufficed. They were similar to seats which you might find inside of a bus or subway car.

Digital signage consisting of light emitting diodes flashed variable messages — the most important of which was what was the next stop of the streetcar…

Atlanta Streetcar
Photograph ©2015 by Brian Cohen.

…although one can hardly get lost. The streetcar follows a pseudo-figure-eight layout. If you happen to be at Park Place and your destination is Woodruff Park, you would save plenty of time walking one block than riding on the streetcar for seven stops, as it only moves in one direction.

One of the stops at which the streetcar spent an inordinate amount of time was Centennial Olympic Park, at which one of the attractions located nearby is the giant ferris wheel known as SkyView Atlanta.

Atlanta Streetcar
Photograph ©2015 by Brian Cohen.

Centennial Olympic Park is at the site of the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.

Tracks and Road Signs

In order to accommodate the streetcar, tracks had to be installed in existing streets.

Atlanta Streetcar
Photograph ©2015 by Brian Cohen.

In some cases, traffic shares the street with the streetcar — such as on Andrew Young International Boulevard Northwest, as shown above; while in the case of Ellis Street Northwest, no traffic is permitted except for the streetcar — meaning that the capacity of the street was reduced by half.

New road signs were installed around the area of the route of the streetcar. This is the yellow diagonal warning sign alerting motorists and pedestrians that an active track for streetcars is nearby.

Motorists need to ensure that their vehicles do not block the path of the streetcar when they are parked on the street.

Attractions and Points of Interest

The Atlanta Streetcar passes a number of attractions, art galleries and parks along its route, which are listed below. Additionally, it also passes many restaurants, hotels, places to shop, companies, educational institutions, libraries, and even a hospital, which you can easily find with this interactive map.

Atlanta Streetcar
Photograph ©2015 by Brian Cohen.

Information

Here is a map of the route which the streetcar — whose service was officially launched on Tuesday, December 30, 2014 — follows; as well as the list of attractions you can visit near its route:

Atlanta Streetcar
Map courtesy of the city of Atlanta.

Schedule

Day Service Time
Monday through Thursday 6:00 in the morning through 11:00 in the evening
Friday 6:00 in the morning through 1:00 in the morning
Saturday 8:30 in the morning through 1:00 in the morning
Sunday 9:00 in the morning through 11:00 in the evening

Streetcars run approximately every 10 to 15 minutes, depending on ridership demand and traffic conditions.

Fares

If you want to be able to ride on the streetcar but are unable to do so in 2015, the fares for the Atlanta Streetcar listed below are expected to be effective as of Friday, January 1, 2016.

One Way Trip Price
Adult $1.00
Child — Up to two children, 46 inches and under with a paid adult* $0.00
Multiple Trips Price
One Day Pass $3.00
Weekly Pass — seven days $11.00
Monthly Pass — 30 days $40.00
Visitor Pass — five days $10.00

*Children’s Fares: two children up to 46 inches tall can travel at no cost with a paid adult. Each additional child must pay the adult fare. School groups and others traveling with more than two children should contact the Atlanta Streetcar to make special arrangements for travel.

Summary

If you would like to ride as a passenger on the Atlanta Streetcar free of charge, you only have until Thursday, December 31, 2015 to do so before the fare of $1.00 per one-way trip is implemented.

The original budget for the Atlanta Streetcar projected $304,000.00 in revenue from ticket sales, which obviously is not going to happen due to the free rides for all of 2015. Private, philanthropic support and operational savings will supposedly offset these funds. Although a dollar will hardly break anyone’s budget, it would be nice if the fare remained free of charge for passengers, as it could help to boost the economy in the area in which the streetcar serves.

All photographs ©2015 by Brian Cohen.

Overview

Release Date

December 27, 2015

Pros

Free or inexpensive fare.
Convenient to many attractions, shopping, restaurants, office buildings, parks and other points of interest.
Clean mode of transportation.

Cons

Limited destination options.
Standard seats with limited comfort.
A wait of ten to fifteen minutes between streetcars — you could walk to many places in that amount of time.

Service

Location

Value

Overall Rating

Conclusion

The Atlanta Streetcar is more of a tourist attraction for people who are visiting downtown Atlanta than a viable transportation option for people who are based in the Atlanta metropolitan area.

4.3

Comments

  1. mowogo says

    As a resident, it really only makes sense for going to the King Historic District and Sweet Auburn Curb Market, and even then, you should walk to the Park Place stop if the streetcar is not at Peachtree Center when you arrive

    • Brian Cohen says

      I completely agree, mowogo.

      I suppose it is convenient for the tourist who is bogged down with shopping bags and can use the streetcar instead of walking — something for which retail merchants in the area would be hoping…

Comments are closed.