Atlanta mayor pulls back support for eastside Beltline rail service

ATLANTA – Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and his staff announced Thursday he no longer supports the first phase of the light rail project along the eastside Beltline. 

“It’s the Beltline, so it is literally everybody’s got an opinion about it,” Mayor Dickens said during a MARTA board meeting. 

The mayor said he didn’t see the immediate need for the project. Instead, he’s intent on expanding Atlanta’s streetcar to reach Murphy’s crossing.

“We are committed to building rail on the Beltline,” said Courtney English, Dickens’ top advisor. “However, not in, the form that has been previously discussed.”

The other side:

Proponents of the Beltline rail project worry that the mayor’s decision could significantly delay or even jeopardize the future of the train service altogether. 

Reid Davis, who uses the Beltline to get around via bike, said the light rail system would add much-needed accessibility. 

“I’m just really disappointed because there are a lot of my neighbors who need what would have been built here,” he said. “It’s been a gentrification corridor. It hasn’t been a transit corridor. It hasn’t connected people to jobs.”

Dickens’ announcement was a surprise to many, but some Beltline rail advocates for the project said it was apparent the mayor’s support for it had waned. 

Davis claimed that Dickens caved to political pressure from businesses opposed to the Beltline. He pointed out that voters already approved funding for the project with a half-penny sales tax in 2016.

What they’re saying:

Nina Carrick was walking on the Beltline on Thursday evening.

She said she understood both sides to the debate, but wasn’t sure if she’d use the rail service.

“I work from home. I don’t know that I would ever need to use it,” Carricl said. “But yes, maybe. I think it’s one of those things that I won’t know until it gets here.” 

What’s next:

The future of the Beltline rail project remains uncertain following the mayor’s unexpected change in stance. It’s also unclear if or when the Murphy’s Crossing project Dickens has advocated for will move forward.