By David Wickert, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution; June 20, 2019
MARTA launched its passenger rail service on a short stretch of track 40 years ago this month, marking the dawn of an era of transit expansion that helped reshape the core of metro Atlanta.
For the next two decades, the fledgling rail network grew west and east, south and north. Office towers and shops sprang up around stations. The number of passengers grew to tens of millions each year. All the while, MARTA planned to extend its rail network deeper into the suburbs.