MARTA trains and parking lots were packed Saturday as tens of thousands of football and music fans converged on Atlanta for Super Bowl festivities.
For the most part, the agency kept trains and passengers moving, though Gold Line rail service was suspended for about 50 minutes Saturday evening because of fires near MARTA tracks.
Spokeswoman Stephany Fisher said the fires were not on MARTA property. The agency established a bus bridge to ferry passengers from Lenox Station to stations further north. Service was restored after the fires were extinguished, shortly before 8 p.m.
MARTA also suspended service on its streetcar late Saturday, citing heavy traffic that slowed the trolley to a crawl.
Otherwise, the biggest impact on service may have been the number of passengers. Trains were packed, and passengers were lined up at Five Points Station – the system’s hub – and at the Dome/Georgia World Congress Center Station adjacent to many of the festivities. Many trains were standing room only.
Many MARTA parking lots were full Saturday afternoon, and others were near capacity.
The agency urged passengers to leave early to give themselves plenty of time to get where they’re going.
With parking lots filling up, it also recommended that on game day passengers carpool to their station or take a ride-hailing service. MARTA is partnering with Uber and Lyft to give 50 percent off rides to or from one of its stations, with the promotional code “SUPERMARTA.”
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