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Streetcars originally operated in Atlanta downtown and into the surrounding areas from 1871 until the final line's closure in 1949. The first such transportation began with horsecars in 1871, and electric streetcar service started in the 1880s. In addition to streetcars in Atlanta proper, there were also interurban railways from Atlanta to outlying towns. The last streetcar service on the old network ended in 1949; the streetcar system was quickly replaced by a trolleybus system and with buses. After decades of planning, construction of a new streetcar system, the
Atlanta Streetcar Atlanta Streetcar or Downtown Loop is a streetcar line in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Testing on the line began in summer 2014 with passenger service beginning as scheduled on December 30, 2014. In , the line had rides, or about per wee ...
, began in early 2012. Consisting initially of a single route, this new streetcar line opened in December 2014. Planning for a larger network, including on an abandoned loop of intown rail tracks now known as the BeltLine is under way.


Streetcars 1871–1949


Timeline and streetcar operators

*1871 Richard Peters and George Adair ran the first streetcars on the Atlanta Street Railway, service to
West End West End most commonly refers to: * West End of London, an area of central London, England * West End theatre, a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London, England West End may also refer to: Pl ...
*1872
West End & Atlanta Street Railroad The West End & Atlanta Street Railroad Company of Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory f ...
Co. formed, service to
West End West End most commonly refers to: * West End of London, an area of central London, England * West End theatre, a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London, England West End may also refer to: Pl ...
and Westview Cemetery *1878 Adair sold out to Peters *1879
Gate City Street Railroad The Gate City Street Railroad Company of Atlanta, Georgia was chartered by the state of Georgia on September 26, 1879. The individuals involved in the formation of the company included Laurent DeGive (Belgian consul and opera house owner), Levi B. ...
Co. formed, service to Angier Springs and Ponce de Leon Springs *1882 Metropolitan Street Railroad Co. formed, lines to the Confederate Soldiers' Home near Ormewood Park and to Decatur *1883
Fulton County Street Railroad The Fulton County Street Railroad Company of Atlanta, Georgia was organized in 1883 by: * James W. English, businessman and once mayor of Atlanta * J. Henry Porter, who was once a city councilman * William T. Newman, Confederate war hero, U.S ...
Co. formed, lines would include the Nine-Mile Circle *1886
Joel Hurt Joel Hurt (1850–1926) was an American businessman. He was the president of Trust Company of Georgia, and a developer in Atlanta. He was one of the many founders of SunTrust Bank. Early life Hurt was born on July 31, 1850, in Hurtsboro, Ala ...
formed the
Atlanta & Edgewood Street Railroad The Atlanta & Edgewood Street Railroad Company of Atlanta, Georgia was organized in 1886 by Joel Hurt, C. W. Hubner, H. E. W. Palmer, W. P. Inman, Peter Lynch, R. C. Mitchell, Asa Griggs Candler, J. P. McDonald, J. G. Reynolds, A. F. Morela ...
Co., service out
Edgewood Avenue Edgewood Avenue is a street in Atlanta, Georgia, United States which runs from Five Points in Downtown Atlanta, eastward through the Old Fourth Ward. The avenue runs in the direction of the Edgewood neighborhood, and stops just short of it in ...
to Hilliard and Highland and to Inman Park *1889 Hurt's streetcar - Atlanta's first electric line - began to run between Five Points and Inman Park and control of Peter's company passed to son
Edward C. Peters Edward Conyngham Peters (October 22, 1855 – February 1, 1937) was an Atlanta real estate developer. He was the son of Richard Peters, a founder of the city. Early life Peters was born on October 22, 1855, in Atlanta, Georgia. He was one of nin ...
; Fulton County Street RR Co. began its Nine-Mile Circle line to what is now Virginia Highland, powered by the electric Thomson-Houston system.Carson, O.E. (1981). ''The Trolley Titans'', p. xi. Glendale, CA: Interurban Press. *1890 Atlanta, West End & McPherson Barracks Ry. Co. began, powered by the electric Sprague system *1891 Law passed requiring segregation on streetcars "as much as practicable" and at the enforcement of streetcar conductors. Prior to this, it was common for Black and white passengers to sit next to each other on streetcars. *1891 (May) Atlanta Consolidated Street Railway Company formed, instigating the Second Battle of Atlanta *1892 Atlanta City Street Railway Co. began, powered by the electric Detroit system *1902 All street railways consolidated as Georgia Railway and Power Company *1916
Atlanta streetcar strike of 1916 The Atlanta streetcar strike of 1916 was a labor strike involving streetcar operators for the Georgia Railway and Power Company in Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. Precipitated by previous strike action by lineworker, linemen of Georgia Ra ...
began September 30 and ended January of the next year *1924 ''The Beeler Report'' issued to advise the financially ailing company *1926 Peak of passenger service (96,794,273) *1937 Trackless trolleys introduced *1949
Georgia Power Georgia Power is an electric utility headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It was established as the Georgia Railway and Power Company and began operations in 1902 running streetcars in Atlanta as a successor to the Atlanta Consolida ...
ran its last streetcar (on the
River Line The River Line (stylized as River LINE) is a hybrid rail (light rail with some features similar to commuter rail) line in southern New Jersey that connects the cities of Camden and Trenton, New Jersey's capital. It is so named because its rout ...
to Riverside, leaving only trackless trolleys and buses


Routes

From 1889–1901, the famed Nine-Mile Circle line ran from Downtown Atlanta to Ponce de Leon Springs and what is now Virginia Highland. In 1924, Georgia Power operated the following streetcar lines (see map above): *1 Decatur St.-Marietta St. *2 Ponce de Leon-West View (east terminus: Ponce at East Lake Rd.) *3 Boulevard-West Hunter *4 Inman Park-Georgia Ave. (alternative eastern termini: McLendon at Clifton and Emory) *5 Highland-South Pryor (north terminus: Virginia Ave. at N. Highland Ave.) *6 Forrest-Capitol (Forrest Ave. is now Ralph McGill Blvd.) (north terminus: Boulevard at Orme Cir.) *7 West Peachtree-East Hunter *8 Howell Mill Road-East Fair *10 Peachtree-Whitehall *11 Luckie-Woodward *12 Copper-Pine *13 Irwin-West Fair St. *14 Orme St.-Magnolia St. *15 Piedmont-Washington *16 Pine Street (see route 12) (eastern terminus: Ponce de Leon Park) *17 Main Decatur *18 South Decatur-East Lake *19
River Line The River Line (stylized as River LINE) is a hybrid rail (light rail with some features similar to commuter rail) line in southern New Jersey that connects the cities of Camden and Trenton, New Jersey's capital. It is so named because its rout ...
*20 College Park & Hapeville *21 Stewart Ave. (see route 1) *22 English Ave.-Soldiers' Home *23 Buckhead & Oglethorpe *24 McDaniel St.


Former interurban lines

Georgia Railway and Power Company ran lines on private rights-of-way from Atlanta to: *
Marietta Marietta may refer to: Places in the United States *Marietta, Jacksonville, Florida *Marietta, Georgia, the largest US city named Marietta *Marietta, Illinois *Marietta, Indiana *Marietta, Kansas *Marietta, Minnesota *Marietta, Mississippi *Mar ...
, the 16-mile Atlanta Northern line, from 1905–1947 * Hopewell and Stone Mountain, 16 miles, 1913–1947 * College Park and Fairburn


Proposed streetcar lines (21st century)


Peachtree

A much longer route along Peachtree Street, the city's main street. Originally, the line was to run from the Oakland City neighborhood through Downtown Atlanta, Midtown and Buckhead. However a more recent (2010) pared-down proposal would run between the Arts Center MARTA station in Midtown and the Five Points MARTA station downtown. In 2015, Buckhead business leaders and city councilpersons successfully had the portion of along Peachtree Rd, from Piedmont Hospital to Lenox Mall, removed from the long range plan.


BeltLine routes

In July 2012, there was a referendum on a 1-cent sales tax ( SPLOST) to fund traffic and road improvements. If it had been approved, the tax would have funded several streetcar routes along portions of the BeltLine trail and connections onto MARTA stations and with the Downtown Loop streetcar. The final list of projects to have been funded included 2 routes: *Midtown to Northeast: from North Ave. MARTA station (1) east along North Ave. to the BeltLine, then north along BeltLine to 10th and Monroe (southeast corner of
Piedmont Park Piedmont Park is an urban park in Atlanta, Georgia, located about northeast of Downtown, between the Midtown and Virginia Highland neighborhoods. Originally the land was owned by Dr. Benjamin Walker, who used it as his out-of-town gentleman's ...
) (2) and south to Edgewood St. (3) and connection to the Downtown streetcar at its eastern terminus (which would be extended from it current proposed terminus at Jackson St.) *Downtown/Midtown to Southwest: **branch from North Ave. station to Luckie St. (4) **branch from the western terminus of the Downtown streetcar at
Centennial Olympic Park Centennial Olympic Park is a public park located in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, owned and operated by the Georgia World Congress Center Authority. It was built by the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games (ACOG) as part of the infrastructu ...
/CNN to Luckie St. (4) **from Luckie St. (4) along North Avenue, Northside Drive, out Donald L. Hollowell Parkway to the Bankhead neighborhood (5), then south along the BeltLine to Abernathy and Cascade in
West End West End most commonly refers to: * West End of London, an area of central London, England * West End theatre, a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London, England West End may also refer to: Pl ...
/ Westview (6). The earlier proposal in March 2011 included two lines that did not make the final list for the July 2012 vote: * Bankhead MARTA to Midtown: From Bankhead MARTA station north along the BeltLine, then east along 17th St. past Atlantic Station to Arts Center MARTA station *Armour Yard to Midtown: From Armour Yard (proposed new transit station near I-85/Monroe exit), south along the BeltLine, then west along North Ave. Source: The proposal was defeated in the 10-county Metro Atlanta region, as a region 63% against and 37% for. In Fulton and DeKalb Counties the results were 52% against and 48% for.


C-Loop (abandoned concept)

In 2005, MARTA analyzed - in addition to the BeltLine - the "C-Loop" ("C"-shaped rail line) linking Emory University,
Lindbergh Center Lindbergh Center station is an at-grade train station in Atlanta, Georgia, serving the Red and Gold lines of the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) rail system. It serves the Lindbergh/Morosgo neighborhood in southern Buckhead ...
, Atlantic Station, Georgia Tech, the Georgia Dome, the AUC, Turner Field, Grant Park, and proceeding eastward along I-20 to South DeKalb Mall. The route originated from the efforts of Reps. John Lewis, Denise Majette and
Cynthia McKinney Cynthia Ann McKinney (born March 17, 1955) is an American politician, academic, and conspiracy theorist. As a member of the Democratic Party, she served six terms in the United States House of Representatives. She was the first African American ...
, who obtained funding from the Dept. of Transportation for a $2 million feasibility study. The concept no longer appears in proposals from the various Georgia transportation authorities, however the part of the route is now part of the Clifton Corridor initiative to build either MARTA rail, light rail, and/or bus rapid transit between Lindbergh and Emory and on to Avondale MARTA station.


Northern Crescent

In June 2011 the Gwinnett, Cobb, and North Fulton Chambers of Commerce held
summit
to promote light rail transit in the northern metropolitan area. It was especially remarkable in light of decades-long opposition to rapid transit in the area
Proposed routes (see map)
would form a "W" and connect: * Kennesaw,
Marietta Marietta may refer to: Places in the United States *Marietta, Jacksonville, Florida *Marietta, Georgia, the largest US city named Marietta *Marietta, Illinois *Marietta, Indiana *Marietta, Kansas *Marietta, Minnesota *Marietta, Mississippi *Mar ...
and the Cumberland edge city with the Arts Center MARTA Station along I-75 * Alpharetta with the Dunwoody MARTA Station along Georgia 400 * The Suwanee area in Gwinnett with the Doraville MARTA Station * Doraville, Dunwoody, and the Cumberland area in an arc along the northern Perimeter


Modern streetcar line

The Atlanta Streetcar, also known as the Downtown Loop, opened after three years of construction and 18 month of delays on December 30, 2014. The route runs east-west from
Centennial Olympic Park Centennial Olympic Park is a public park located in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, owned and operated by the Georgia World Congress Center Authority. It was built by the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games (ACOG) as part of the infrastructu ...
to the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site, with tracks that converge at
Woodruff Park Woodruff Park, named for Robert W. Woodruff, is located in the heart of Downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The park's are north of Edgewood Ave, between Peachtree Street NE and Park Place NE. The park includes a fountain, a performance pavilion, an ...
. The line serves 12 stops.


See also

* Nine-Mile Circle streetcar line to Virginia Highland * Timeline of mass transit in Atlanta * Trolleybuses in Atlanta * List of streetcar systems in the United States (all-time list)


References


External links


Atlanta's Streetcars of the Nineteenth Century: a forum for identification and documentation


{{Atlanta history Railway lines in Atlanta Streetcars in Georgia (U.S. state) Transportation in Atlanta History of Atlanta Old Fourth Ward Atlanta