Atlanta OKs long-range streetcar expansion plan

The Atlanta City Council has approved a new long-range plan for extending the city's streetcar line.

Developed by the city and Atlanta BeltLine Inc. (ABI), the plan consists of a 50-plus-mile streetcar system, including five crosstown routes and 22 miles along the city's beltline corridor, ABI officials said in a press release.

The plan will serve as a framework for a potential referendum in Fulton County, Ga., in 2016, and is necessary for any major transit project seeking federal funding from the Federal Transit Administration, they said.

"Atlanta BeltLine Inc., the city of Atlanta, and [the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority] have worked collaboratively to advance transit on the Atlanta BeltLine and in the city, through planning studies and the federal process," said ABI President and Chief Executive Officer Paul Morris. "Today’s action by the city council is significant in helping us to continue to move forward."

The plan is a culmination of a multiyear planning effort undertaken by ABI that engaged Atlanta citizens.