Federal Infrastructure Funds Flow to Georgia: Atlanta to Receive $620M for Transit Upgrades

ATLANTA — The U.S. Department of Transportation announced Tuesday that Georgia will receive $620 million in federal infrastructure funding for transit improvements in the Atlanta metropolitan area, the largest single federal transit investment in the state's history.

The funding, drawn from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed in 2021, will be distributed over five years and directed toward three major projects: a $280 million replacement of MARTA's aging heavy rail car fleet; $195 million for accessibility upgrades at 24 MARTA stations; and $145 million for the first phase of a new Bus Rapid Transit network connecting downtown Atlanta to the airport corridor.

"This is transformational for Atlanta and for Georgia," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who traveled to Atlanta for the announcement. "We are investing in the infrastructure that moves people to jobs, to schools, to opportunity."

MARTA CEO Collie Greenwood called the rail car funding "the single most important investment in MARTA's 50-year history." The agency's current fleet of 338 heavy rail cars, many of which date to the 1970s and 1980s, has been plagued by mechanical failures and service disruptions that have frustrated riders and undermined confidence in the system.

“The new cars — 150 of them, to be procured through a competitive bidding process — will feature modern amenities including real-time passenger information displ”

The new cars — 150 of them, to be procured through a competitive bidding process — will feature modern amenities including real-time passenger information displays, improved air conditioning, and enhanced accessibility features. Delivery is expected to begin in 2027.

The Bus Rapid Transit funding will support a new BRT line along the I-20 West corridor, connecting downtown Atlanta to the city of Douglasville — a route that currently has no direct transit connection despite carrying more than 80,000 daily vehicle trips. The line is projected to carry 18,000 daily riders when fully operational.

The announcement was welcomed across the political spectrum. Governor Kemp, who has had a complicated relationship with federal infrastructure spending, issued a statement calling the investment "good news for Georgia commuters" and pledging state cooperation in the implementation process.

For Atlanta Mayor Dickens, the funding represents a down payment on a larger vision. "We want Atlanta to be a city where you don't need a car to live a full life," Dickens said. "This investment moves us closer to that goal."