Clifton Corridor

The Clifton Corridor is a proposed public transportation corridor in and near Atlanta, Georgia. It stretches from Lindbergh Center eastwards, following the existing CSX rail corridor to Emory University, with possible continuation along the northern edge of Decatur via Suburban Plaza on N. Decatur Rd. and on to the Avondale MARTA station. In March 2012, after considering bus, light rail and heavy rail rapid-transit options,[1] MARTA recommended a light rail option.[2]

Clifton Corridor rail line parallel to Clifton Road, crossing Old Briarcliff Way just east of Sage Hill

Clifton Corridor
Lindbergh Center Red Gold Cheshire Bridge Sage Hill/Briarcliff CDC/Emory Conference Center Emory-Rollins Andrews Circle North Decatur/Clairmont Suburban Plaza DeKalb Medical Center Irvin Way DeKalb Farmers Market Avondale Blue Green

MARTA proposes stations at:[3]

• Lindbergh Center
• Cheshire Bridge Road (near Faulkner Road and the Morningside Nature Preserve
• Sage Hill / Briarcliff (near the intersection of Briarcliff Road, Johnson Road, and Zonolite Road)
• CDC/Emory Conference Center
• Emory-Rollins
• Andrews Circle
• North Decatur / Clairmont
• Suburban Plaza
• DeKalb Medical Center
• Irwin Way
• Your Dekalb Farmers Market
• Avondale MARTA station

In Summer 2012, there was a referendum on a 1-cent sales tax (SPLOST) to fund traffic and road improvements. If approved, the tax would have provided $700 million to fund rapid transit along the Clifton Corridor.[4] The measure was defeated by voters.

Emory strongly supports rapid transit in the corridor.[5]

By the summer of 2018, MARTA updated the Clifton Corridor fact sheet with Alternative 6 shown as the selected routing split into two phases. Construction of first phase from Lindburgh to North Decatur / Clairmont is expected to begin in 2022 and be complete and operational by 2026. The initial segment is etimated to cost between $900 million to $1.3 billion, with build-out of the full line running $1.8–2.1 billion.[3]