We hope Joe Iacobucci will continue to pivot ABI toward fresh ideas and effective, progressive solutions. If so, he’s certain to see what those who are serious about mobility have noticed alongside the greenway’s spectacular success: The Beltline’s highest use when it comes to transportation is as a short-trip, micromobility corridor that can be leveraged to extend transit to the Beltline, not on it.

Old Fourth Ward resident Jay Miller put the focus on the actual topic of Beltline rail last week in a column for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

More evidence bus rapid transit can provide fast, comfortable service at a fraction of the expense of light rail: Miami-Dade just launched a 20-mile BRT line.‍ ‍The price tag? $300 million. Or about one-tenth the projected cost per mile of the Beltline rail loop.

The push to separate wheels and heels on the Atlanta Beltline’s Eastside Trail got a big boost over the weekend from the leaders of four major nonprofits that are deeply vested in the Beltline’s success.

An injury suffered by a young girl last week in a collision with a bicycle highlights a safety challenge on the Atlanta Beltline Eastside Trail. The comments accompanying a NextDoor post by the victim's father make it clear that this was not an isolated incident.

Twenty years ago, the Trust for Public Land imagined a future for the Atlanta Beltline. It’s remarkable how much of that vision has become reality.

Mayor Andre Dickens put Atlanta’s transit plans on a more viable track when he and a top aide outlined an integrated approach to mobility before the MARTA Board of Directors. The plan reprioritizes Beltline rail segments, and puts new emphasis on equity, bus rapid transit and micromobility.

A Better Atlanta Transit report calls upon Atlanta leaders to develop an Integrated Mobility Strategy – similar to those adopted in Charlotte, Dallas, Los Angeles and other peer cities.

You’d have to raid a lot of public kitties to build $3 billion worth of Beltline rail. A funding plan proposed by rail boosters would drag much of that money away from bike lanes, affordable housing and other transit projects.

The price tag is likely to be Beltline rail’s undoing. But neither the city nor MARTA profess to have a good idea of what that price tag will be. So we came up with a low-ball estimate. “Low ball” doesn’t always mean “low.”

The Georgia State Law Review has insightful article on Beltline transit and the role that advocacy groups have played in molding Atlanta.

Beltline rail followed an unusual path to get this far down the track. Each time a closer look identified problems or planners proposed putting resources toward more viable projects, rail enthusiasts pressed to keep the dream alive.