FAQs

Proposed Route

Feasibility Study
   - core findings
   - Exec. Summary
     (pdf)

After examining the prospects of restoring streetcar service to the Peachtree corridor, the core findings of our feasibility study tell us much about the most advantageous route, ridership estimates, the impact on MARTA, cost and economic development potential.

Report of Core Findings

Background

Atlanta Streetcar, Inc. (ASC) engaged HDR Engineering, Inc. and a team of national and local consulting firms to study the feasibility of developing streetcar service along the Peachtree Corridor to complement other transportation options.

Unprecedented new and in-fill developments in the
historic neighborhoods along Peachtree Street mean that a convenient array of transportation options is needed to ensure in-town mobility. City-suburb transit remains important, of course, but mobility between points within the city is becoming increasingly critical.

This study considers both the physical and the financial viability of establishing a streetcar line along the city's spine, from Buckhead through Midtown to Downtown. It evaluates the core ASC streetcar concept, and the study also provides supplemental recommendations.

The Peachtree Corridor Route

The study concludes that the Peachtree Corridor is an optimal location for streetcar service. It also recommends the Downtown Loop to connect the Peachtree Corridor system to major attractions such as the Georgia World Congress Center, CNN Center, Philips Arena, the Georgia Aquarium and the King Center, among others.

As the city's linear “Main Street” running almost 12 miles, the Peachtree Corridor is benefiting from a variety of efforts that have effectively transform this arterial road into a “boulevard.” Streetscape design, local transit circulators, mixed-use developments and other creative initiatives have all made this historic thoroughfare conducive to walking, biking and even sidewalk dining.

The Peachtree Corridor also has the potential for unprecedented in-fill development, with high-rise condos, hotels, office towers and a new symphony hall literally lining the street. In total, the Corridor includes at least 252,000,000 square feet of commercial space and over 160,000 residential units, according to the City of Atlanta's 2001 GIS zoning database. In short, Peachtree has reached the critical density where it is experienced by walking residents, shoppers and visitors at the street level.

Moreover, the Peachtree Corridor enjoys world-wide name recognition as a virtual icon of Atlanta. Visitors to the city expect to visit and travel along the Peachtree Corridor as an essential part of the Atlanta experience, but while portions of the route are reachable on foot, many others are well beyond a comfortable walking distance. Some destinations, of course, are accessible by the MARTA rail system, but because it is largely situated underground, the station locations and their proximity to the above-ground street environment are not always apparent to visitors. Cultural destinations along
the route will only increase with the completion of the Georgia Aquarium and the new World of Coke complex.

A continuous route from Buckhead to West End, the Corridor possesses many attributes that make it a natural candidate for streetcar service:

• Tremendous potential for infill development
High density of existing development
• Two-way traffic, unlike the other north-south arteries in Midtown
• Slower traffic speeds than parallel streets such as West Peachtree
• Relatively gentle grades and shorter blocks
Existing segments that are already pedestrian-friendly

Based on these attributes, the study concludes that a streetcar line can be accommodated in the Peachtree Corridor without adversely impeding traffic flow, parking usage, business operations or other Corridor characteristics.

It is also important to note that the Peachtree Corridor enjoys multiple transit connections from north to south. The net result would be that a streetcar system along this route would serve to extend the capacity of MARTA as well as CCT, GCT and GRTA regional bus services.

Stops

The study recommends station stops along the Corridor, adjacent to major traffic generators such as Piedmont Hospital and important transit junctions such as MARTA stops. From these, additional stops -- two to four blocks away -- would be plotted to ensure “local circulation” so that riders are delivered very close to their destinations.

Following this proposed schema, the Peachtree streetcar line could include as many as 44 stops, from Roxboro Road in the north to Donnelly Avenue in the South. With the addition of a Downtown Loop, the total streetcar system would serve an even wider area.

Ridership

According to the study's daily trip and traffic zone analysis, 102,000 daily person trips originate or conclude in the Peachtree Corridor, defined with a one-quarter mile buffer on each side. The study collated ARC data, the 2000 U.S. Census (Journey to Work and Vehicle Ownership Rates) and the Institute of Traffic Engineers (ITE) Trip Generation Manual to calculate total daily person trips.

The study estimates that 17,800 - or 17 percent - of these trips would be conducted by the streetcar, serving approximately 21,500 daily riders for the Peachtree Corridor and Downtown Loop lines combined. Adjusting for shared riders - or those who would use both lines on a given day -- the daily ridership for the Peachtree Corridor line is estimated at 18,000. For the Downtown Loop, a ridership of 6,000 is estimated (shared ridership is expected to be approximately 2,500).

In addition to the ridership generated by the streetcar service, there is a strong likelihood that the additional capacity and connectivity provided by the streetcar between MARTA and regional express systems will result in increased ridership for these systems as well. In fact, the study estimates that a streetcar system would actually increase MARTA's ridership by 2,000 riders each day.

As many as 39 MARTA bus stations would link to the streetcar line, as would ten rail stations. The streetcar would also be aligned with five GRTA routes, six GCT routes, and four CCT routes - all being fed by day-long streetcar service, running every six minutes. The overall impact will be to improve the circulation of riders from all transit systems, connecting them seamlessly from system to system until they reach their destination.

Costs and Economic Impact

The Peachtree Corridor will continue to experience significant development in the coming decades, bringing with it new residents, new business and their employees, suburban commuters and visitors drawn to the city's signature attractions along the route. The streetcar's role will be to provide the
mobility and easy circulation needed to integrate the development projects. The result will be a coherent urban center, rather than a series of disconnected developments, and a strong market for further private investment.

Although the economic impact of streetcars has been empirically realized in many cities across the country, this study looked at the likely impact in Atlanta specifically. It did not make inferences based on the success of other cities such as Portland, Oregon where streetcar systems have catalyzed
remarkable economic growth and urban revitalization.

First, City Comprehensive Development Plan and Zoning maps were used to segment the Peachtree corridor. This segmentation included all parcels that fell within 100 feet of the Peachtree centerline, to ensure that all parcels with Peachtree frontage were captured as well as any significant parcels just
beyond Peachtree.

Next, interviews with property and business owners were conducted to gather on-the-ground data about planned development.

Finally, the following variables were built into the study model:

• Historic and expected market conditions
• The competitive environment for development
• The competitive environment for financing
• Presence of vacant or underutilized properties
• Actual development plans and proposals
• Recent development and redevelopment activity

The study concludes that a streetcar line along the Peachtree Corridor would help stimulate as much as $4.4 billion in new development by 2015. Note that this estimate does not include the potential economic impact of the auxiliary Downtown Loop. Even as measured against the costs of building and operating the streetcar system, the potential for new economic development is overwhelmingly positive.

Type of Streetcar

Based on its analysis of the environment and street character of the Peachtree Corridor and Downtown Loop, the study recommends tram-style streetcars as the best fit for Atlanta. Trams are used widely in Europe and in a growing number of U.S. cities.

The scale of trams and the location of the track - flush with the street surface in a shared travel lane - make it possible to add high-capacity transit to an already vibrant streetscape such as Peachtree without overwhelming its character or radically altering its design. Additional benefits of the tramstyle
streetcar include:

Track and overhead systems that can be constructed quickly, with minimal impact on surrounding businesses and streets

Clean and quiet electric propulsion, which is especially pedestrian-friendly

Smooth and comfortable rides, particularly in comparison to buses

In-street operation, which means no travel lanes are lost and street parking is impacted only minimally

Specifications for tram-style streetcars may be summarized as follows:

Summary Conclusions

A north-south streetcar line along the Peachtree Corridor will serve many transportation purposes.

• It will allow people to make short, non-commute trips by means other than the automobile.
• It will improve both the capacity and the attraction of the MARTA rail and bus system, regional bus services, and planned regional Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridors by seamlessly circulating riders into adjacent areas.
• It will improve the attractiveness and convenience of Atlanta as a visitor destination by allowing visitors convenient access to the city's signature historic and entertainment destinations.

The proposed Downtown Loop will likewise have multiple transportation benefits, allowing easy circulation among key destinations for residents and visitors. As with the Peachtree Corridor line, the Downtown Loop will increase MARTA ridership, since trips to multiple destinations can be completed
on the streetcar once the rider arrives downtown on MARTA.

Together with these commendable transportation benefits, a streetcar system will also enhance the impressive development and redevelopment possibilities in both the Peachtree Corridor and the Downtown Loop. Most important, it will shape the character of this development into a more sustainable, transit-supportive, people-oriented form, offering residents, commuters and visitors alike a convenient means of mobility other than the auto.