Hartsfield-Jackson (ATL) to downtown Atlanta
The MARTA train station is inside the Domestic Terminal between the north and south baggage claims, and the fare into town is the ordinary $2.50. If you land at the International Terminal you are on the far side of the airfield and need the free shuttle bus first.
- The fare is $2.50, the same as any other MARTA trip, with no airport surcharge of any kind.
- The station is indoors. Airport Station sits between the north and south baggage claim areas at the west end of the Domestic Terminal, and it is the last stop on the Red and Gold lines.
- The International Terminal has no train. MARTA rail stops at the Domestic Terminal only; the free International Terminal shuttle bus leaves from just outside baggage claim.
- One fare buys up to four transfers within three hours, so a bus leg on either end costs nothing extra.
- But only if you touch the same thing every time. A bank card and the same card in a phone wallet count as two different passengers, and you get charged twice.
- Trains run 4:45am to 1am on weekdays, 6am to 1am at weekends. There is no all-night service.
- A 24 hour pass is $9.00, three days $16.00, seven days $23.75. Two airport trips alone do not justify one.
- After the rush hour, northbound trips need a change. For Buckhead, Sandy Springs or North Springs, take the Gold train and change to the Red line at Lindbergh Center.
Why this airport is easy
- The train is in the building. Airport Station is nestled between the north and south baggage claim areas at the west end of the Domestic Terminal, so the walk from the carousel to the platform is measured in yards, not shuttle rides.
- It is the end of the line, on both the Red and the Gold, which means every train on the platform is going into town and you cannot board the wrong direction.
- The fare is $2.50 flat. Atlanta charges nothing extra for the airport, which puts it among the cheapest big-city airport rail links anywhere.
- Reduced fare is $1.00 for people over 65, Medicare holders and people with disabilities, and children 46 inches and under travel free, two per paying adult.
The one thing that catches people out
- International arrivals do not land next to the train. The International Terminal is on the opposite side of the airfield with its own road access, and MARTA's rail service terminates at the Domestic Terminal.
- The fix is a free shuttle bus between the two terminals, which picks up just outside baggage claim. Allow for it: it is a drive around the airfield, not a walk.
- MARTA bus route 191 also serves the International Terminal if you are heading south rather than into the city.
Paying, and the transfer trap
- One fare includes up to four transfers within three hours. Bus to train, train to bus, or bus to bus, all on the one $2.50.
- The transfer only works if you present the identical payment method each time. MARTA says this in as many words: a debit card tapped on a bus and the same card's mobile wallet tapped at the faregate are read as two separate riders, and the second one pays again.
- So pick one thing at the airport and stick with it for the whole journey, whether that is a physical card, a phone, or a Breeze card.
- Transfers are one-way only. You cannot leave a route and rejoin the same route later on the same fare.
Passes, and whether they are worth it
- 24 hour pass $9.00, 2 day $14.00, 3 day $16.00, 4 day $19.00, 7 day $23.75, 30 day $95.
- Two airport journeys cost $5.00, so a day pass only pays if you are also riding around town three or four times that day.
- The Atlanta Streetcar is separate, at $1.00 a ride, and MARTA transfers do not apply to it.
Hours
- Weekday trains run 4:45am to 1am, weekends 6am to 1am. A flight landing at 2am means a taxi or a rideshare, and the airport is about 10 miles from downtown.
- After the evening rush the Red line is cut back. For Buckhead, Medical Center, Dunwoody, Sandy Springs or North Springs, take a Gold train towards Doraville and change to the Red line at Lindbergh Center.
Comments
No comments yet. Share the first one.
Share a tip
Sign in to continue.