Police activity disrupted MARTA service, traffic at Atlanta airport

The incident at MARTA's airport station caused traffic to back up on I-85.

Credit: Georgia Department of Transportation

Credit: Georgia Department of Transportation

The incident at MARTA's airport station caused traffic to back up on I-85.

Traffic at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport was disrupted by heavy police and fire activity Thursday afternoon around the airport’s MARTA station.

The delays were initially caused by a person on the tracks at the airport station, MARTA police spokeswoman Sgt. Deneya Littles said. The rails had to be de-energized, preventing trains from traveling through the station.

MARTA police officers were able to safely remove the man from the tracks and take him into custody, Littles said. Officials with the transit agency have not shared his identity or said if he will face charges, but a spokesperson for Atlanta police said the incident was not criminal in nature.

MARTA acknowledged a “rail service disruption” on social media just after 3 p.m. and said it would offer subsidized transportation through its MARTAConnect service. The service made a link available for customers that provided an $8 credit for Uber and Lyft rideshare services.

Train service was restored to the airport station around 4 p.m. and delays cleared on the rail system’s North/South line around 6 p.m., the agency said on social media. Traffic delays on highways and roads around the airport was flowing normally after 5 p.m., according to the Traffic Center.