Blue Line (MARTA)
Encyclopedia
The Blue Line is a rapid transit
line in the MARTA
rail system. It operates between Hamilton E. Holmes and Indian Creek
stations, running through Atlanta
, Decatur
and portions of unincorporated DeKalb County
.
The Blue Line was previously called the East-West Line until MARTA switched to a color-based naming system in October 2009. The East-West Line, from its launch, was considered one line (denoted with the Blue Line color on old system maps) until 2006 when the West branch and the Proctor Creek branch were redesignated as the East-West Line (the current Blue Line) and the Proctor Creek Line (the current Green Line
).
The rail line was part of the initial launch of MARTA rail service in 1979. The first segment ran from the East Line segment from Georgia State to the Avondale stations upon the opening in June of that year. By the end of 1979, it extended west to the Hightower station (now Hamilton E. Holmes) on the West Line segment, which serves as that station's terminus. Although the North-South line was expanded throughout the 1980s, the East-West line did not see any extension since its opening until 1992 when the Proctor Creek branch of the line opened to its terminus at Bankhead station. It finally extended to its current eastern terminus at Indian Creek in September 1993.
Now known as the Blue Line, it shares trackage with its counterpart, the Green Line, between just west of Ashby and Edgewood/Candler Park.
Rapid transit
A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway, metro or metropolitan railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with a high capacity and frequency, and grade separation from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically located either in underground tunnels or on...
line in the MARTA
Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority
The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority or MARTA is the principal rapid-transit system in the Atlanta metropolitan area and the ninth-largest in the United States. Formed in 1971 as strictly a bus system, MARTA operates a network of bus routes linked to a rapid transit system consisting...
rail system. It operates between Hamilton E. Holmes and Indian Creek
Indian Creek (MARTA station)
Indian Creek is an at-grade terminus station on the Blue Line of the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority rail system that serves a portion of DeKalb County, Georgia just outside of Interstate 285. It has an island platform with 1 track on each side of the platform...
stations, running through Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, Decatur
Decatur, Georgia
Decatur is a city in, and county seat of, DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. With a population of 19,335 in the 2010 census, the city is sometimes assumed to be larger since multiple zip codes in unincorporated DeKalb County bear the Decatur name...
and portions of unincorporated DeKalb County
DeKalb County, Georgia
DeKalb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. The population of the county was 691,893 at the 2010 census. Its county seat is the city of Decatur. It is bordered to the west by Fulton County and contains roughly 10% of the city of Atlanta...
.
The Blue Line was previously called the East-West Line until MARTA switched to a color-based naming system in October 2009. The East-West Line, from its launch, was considered one line (denoted with the Blue Line color on old system maps) until 2006 when the West branch and the Proctor Creek branch were redesignated as the East-West Line (the current Blue Line) and the Proctor Creek Line (the current Green Line
Green Line (MARTA)
The Green Line is a rapid transit line in the MARTA rail system. It operates between Bankhead and Edgewood/Candler Park stations, running exclusively inside the Atlanta city limits....
).
The rail line was part of the initial launch of MARTA rail service in 1979. The first segment ran from the East Line segment from Georgia State to the Avondale stations upon the opening in June of that year. By the end of 1979, it extended west to the Hightower station (now Hamilton E. Holmes) on the West Line segment, which serves as that station's terminus. Although the North-South line was expanded throughout the 1980s, the East-West line did not see any extension since its opening until 1992 when the Proctor Creek branch of the line opened to its terminus at Bankhead station. It finally extended to its current eastern terminus at Indian Creek in September 1993.
Now known as the Blue Line, it shares trackage with its counterpart, the Green Line, between just west of Ashby and Edgewood/Candler Park.