One of Atlanta’s most popular attractions, the Beltline, is currently considering putting the idea into reality of adding a light rail train system alongside its existing roads. The Beltline continues to thrive, especially on the weekends when it’s packed with people. On a Saturday afternoon, it can feel like stepping into a relay race. The proposed light rail aims to improve future transportation options around the Beltline, but community opinions are mixed.
Many families in the Paideia community live near or on the Beltline, and while some see the rail project as a benefit, others worry it could create problems. “I love the idea of light rail, and generally I love public transport,” says Paideia English teacher Gavin Drummond, who lives only a block away from the beltline, “Coming from London, a city that has a dense public transport system, I have seen first hand how public transport is important and necessary for a city that just can’t handle all the car traffic.”
Fellow Beltline resident Lena Vandermeer ’27 and her family have been notified that construction might start very close to her family’s and her neighbor’s houses, which has caused concerns. “A lot of my neighbors in the area have been affected by the property line disputes of building the railroads,” Vandemeer says.
Michael Lennox, owner of the popular Beltline restaurants Ladybird Grove and Muchacho, has publicly opposed the light rail extension.
In March 2024, Lennox joined a group of other restaurant owners to argue that the train would disrupt their business. The light rail plan also raises questions about how it might compete with existing transit systems like MARTA.
“I’ve been in Atlanta for 30 years and MARTA has hardly developed — in fact, there are fewer bus routes these days compared with 15 years ago,” says Drummond. For now, no decisions have been finalized.
Despite the debates, this project is still likely in the distant future. According to Shaun Green, Principal Engineer for the Atlanta BeltLine Inc. (ABI), “not even a ballpark timeline for building the Beltline transit has been established.” The light rail is still up in the air as more updates will be coming to surface.
