During MARTA’s July board meeting, Interim CEO/General Manager Jonathan Hunt provided praise and reflection on the transit agency’s operational success during the World Cup’s tenure in Atlanta.
“After more than eighteen months of planning and preparation, [our] team demonstrated that MARTA would be ready”, said Hunt. “Across all modes during the World Cup, MARTA experienced an overall ridership…increase of approximately 27 percent, which was driven mainly by our rail.”
On host match days, daily rail ridership increased by an average of 130,000 additional rail trips, which is approximately 2 to 3.5 times above normal daily ridership. Fan Fest-only days generated a 40 percent increase in weekday ridership, with an average of 37,000 additional rail trips each day.
The most significant increase in daily rail ridership during the World Cup occurred on the June 21 Spain vs. Saudi Arabia match. This resulted in an additional 126,000 additional trips performed, 3.3 times the estimated daily ridership.
Increased customer service capacity, heightened public safety operations and improved rail frequency were essential in managing a significant increase in ridership demand.
According to Hunt, approximately 700 administrative employees worked over 6,400 transit ambassador shifts to help MARTA’s frontline staff “create a patron experience that was, for many riders, virtually seamless”
With additional assistance from the Denver Regional Transit Department police, coordinated public safety operations were executed by MARTA police and other regional law enforcement agencies. During the World Cup, MARTA only experienced four major security incidents that were promptly addressed by law enforcement and the individuals involved were apprehended without significant disruption.
MARTA’s most notable achievement during the World Cup was delivering shorter rail service headways during its peak ridership hours, successfully providing double the daily frequency with five-minute rail service on match and fan fest days.
Well written and informative article to read. This really puts MARTA on the map for the future growth of this city that I call home now.