MARTA to boost rail service for Super Bowl LIII

The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) last week announced it will add rail service during the 53rd Super Bowl, which will be held in February 2019 at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

During the weekend of Feb. 3, 2019, the agency will provide rail service 24 hours a day and enhance key bus routes to move riders through the city safely, MARTA Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Parker announced on Twitter late last week.

MARTA held a Super Bowl preparedness event last week to brief media on its plans for the event. Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms participated in the event.

Meanwhile, MARTA is "close" to approving a commuter-rail line through Clayton County, Georgia, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported late last week.

The 22-mile line would connect MARTA's existing station in East Point to Jonesboro and Lovejoy along existing Norfolk Southern Railway right of way, according to the paper.

Construction on the new line could begin in 2023, with passenger service starting in 2027, the newspaper reported.