Red Line (MARTA)

The Red Line is a rapid transit line in the MARTA rail system. It operates between North Springs and Airport stations, running through Sandy Springs, Dunwoody, Atlanta, East Point and College Park.

Red Line
A Red Line train near Dunwoody station
Overview
Type	Rapid transit
System	MARTA rail
Status	Operational
Locale	Atlanta, Georgia
Termini	North Springs (north) Airport (south)
Stations	19 (11 North, Five Points, 7 South)
Operation
Opened	1996
Operator(s)	MARTA
Rolling stock	Société Franco-Belge CQ310 Hitachi Rail CQ311 Breda CQ312
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Electrification	third rail
Highest elevation	at grade, elevated, underground

Red & Gold Lines
Red  North Springs Sandy Springs Dunwoody I-285 Medical Center Buckhead  Gold  Doraville Chamblee Brookhaven/Oglethorpe Lenox SR 400 Lindbergh Center Armour Yard I-85 Arts Center Midtown North Avenue Civic Center Peachtree Center Atlanta Streetcar Five Points Blue Green Garnett I-20 West End Oakland City Lakewood/Fort McPherson East Point College Park South Yard & Shops I-85 Red Gold Airport

The Red Line was originally called the North-South Line until MARTA switched to a color-based naming system in October 2009. The North-South Line, from its launch, was considered one line, denoted with an orange color on old system maps until 2006 when the North Branch and the Northeast branch were redesignated as the North-South Line (the current Red Line) and the Northeast-South Line (the current Gold Line). Using the Five Points station as a reference point, the North Line was designated for trips headed for Sandy Springs, and the South Line was designated for trips headed for the Airport.

The rail line was part of the launch of MARTA north-south rail service in 1981. The first segment ran from the Garnett to the North Avenue stations, although the Peachtree Center opened the year after as an infill. In 1982, it expanded north to Arts Center, and in 1984, expanded as far north as Brookhaven and as far south as Lakewood/Fort McPherson. The East Point station opened, extending the line two miles to the south. A little more than a year later, the Chamblee station began service and served as the temporary terminus of the North Line. In 1988, the Airport station opened, and became the terminus of the South Line. In 1992, the North-South Line was extended northward to its current terminus at Doraville. In 1996, MARTA extended North Line services to Dunwoody. This created two branches of the North Line, and the Doraville branch was redesignated as the Northeast Line to avoid confusion. It finally extended north to its current terminus at North Springs in 2000.

Now known as the Red Line, it shares trackage with its counterpart, the Gold Line, between Airport and just north of the Lindbergh Center.

On weekdays, after 8:30 pm, Red Line shuttle train service operates between North Springs and Lindbergh Center stations only until the end of the service. On Saturdays and Sundays, Red Line shuttle train service operates between North Springs and Lindbergh Center stations only from 8:50 pm until the end of the service. When major single tracking occurs, Red Line train service operates between North Springs and Lindbergh Center stations only.