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$150 million renovation of MARTA’s Five Points station moving forward

"The next station is..."
A MARTA cavern
'Business as usual'
All aboard!
Checking on the progress
Five Points takes shape
Station under construction
Digging up downtown
At the controls
Excitement at Avondale
Tokens and turnstiles
Here comes the train
First run (and first breakdown)
Airport train in your future
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MARTA trains are just one more familiar sight during the average Atlantan's commute these days. But it wasn't always that way. Prior to 1979, taking the train to work wasn't an option in the city after the demise of the streetcars. But MARTA had been planning a rapid rail system throughout the 1970s and by decade's end, the first trains hit the tracks. For that to happen, however, lots of construction was in the offing.
By
June 24, 2021

MARTA is moving forward with the $150 million renovation of Five Points station in downtown Atlanta.

On Thursday the MARTA board’s planning committee voted to award a $15 million contract for architectural and engineering design services for the project to Chicago-based Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. The full board is expected to consider the contract next month.

Renovating Five Points is a top priority of Atlanta’s More MARTA program, made possible when city voters approved an additional half-penny sales tax for transit expansion in 2016. Five Points is the hub of MARTA’s rail network, and rehabilitating the station will be a complicated undertaking.

Assistant General Manager Marsha Anderson-Bomar said the project will involve “deconstructing” and rebuilding parts of the existing station, building a new plaza and accommodating future development above the station.

“All this work needs to be done while we keep the station fully activated and safe, still a good environment for our customers,” she said.

Anderson-Bomar said MARTA picked Skidmore, Owings & Merrill because of its experience with similar projects. One example: The company was involved in the Hudson Yards development above active rail lines in New York City.

MARTA expects to award a construction contract for the project in October. Work would begin in the spring and set to end in 2025 — in time for Atlanta to possibly host a World Cup soccer semifinal game in 2026.

“Yes, we can deliver this project on time,” Anderson-Bomar told the board. “We will deliver this project on time.”

About the Author

David Wickert writes about the state budget, finance and voting issues. Previously, he covered local government and politics in Gwinnett and Fulton counties. Before moving to Atlanta, he worked at newspapers in Illinois, Tennessee, Virginia and Washington.

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