Blue Line (MARTA)

Blue Line
Overview
Status	Operational
Locale	Atlanta, Georgia
Termini	Hamilton E. Holmes (west) Indian Creek (east)
Stations	15 (5 West, Five Points, 9 East)
Service
Type	Rapid transit
System	MARTA rail
Operator(s)	MARTA
Rolling stock	See MARTA rail#Rolling stock
History
Opened	1979
Technical
Character	at grade, elevated, underground
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Electrification	Third rail, 750 V DC
Route map Blue Line highlighted in blue

The Blue Line is a rapid transit line in the MARTA rail system. It operates between Hamilton E. Holmes and Indian Creek stations, running through Atlanta, Decatur and portions of unincorporated DeKalb County.

History

What is now called the Blue Line contains some of the first sections of the MARTA rail to open. On February 19, 1975, construction on what was then known as the East Line began. On June 30, 1979, service on the East Line began operating between Avondale and Georgia State. On December 22 the same year, the West Line was opened, between Five Points station and what was then known as Hightower station (now Hamilton E. Holmes station). The combined Hightower-Avondale route became known as the East-West Line.

On December 29, 1992, a branch (then known as the Proctor Creek Line) of the East-West Line to Bankhead station opened. The following year, on June 26, 1993, Kensington and Indian Creek stations on the East Line opened. This was the first time MARTA rail extended beyond Interstate 285.

In 2009, MARTA introduced a color-coded system of naming for its rail lines. As a result, the former East-West Line became the Blue Line.

Stations

listed from west to east

Station	Code	Opened	Rail Line Transfer
Hamilton E. Holmes	W5	December 22, 1979
West Lake	W4
Ashby	W3
Vine City	W2
GWCC/CNN Center	W1
Five Points
Georgia State	E1	June 30, 1979
King Memorial	E2
Inman Park/Reynoldstown	E3
Edgewood/Candler Park	E4
East Lake	E5
Decatur	E6
Avondale	E7
Kensington	E8	June 26, 1993
Indian Creek	E9