Recent opposition has not prompted any significant reconsideration of plans to add light rail along the Beltline, leaders say.
Transit has been envisioned as part of the eventual 22-mile loop since the Beltline’s inception, and no other form of transit meets the needs as well as light rail, Senior Transportation Engineer Shaun Green said at Atlanta Beltline’s virtual quarterly meeting Thursday night.
The group is open to feedback about what rail on the Beltline looks like, but whether there’s rail at all is not really up for debate, Green said.
“We’re listening for constructive feedback as opposed to just saying no,” he said. “That’s not really something we can react to.”
Opposition to rail has intensified in recent months as construction on the trail has neared completion and the transit plans have come into greater focus. A new community group launched last fall questioning “the wisdom” of rail on the Beltline. The group released a poll of 600 Atlanta voters, 53% of whom said rail would destroy the park.