MARTA East-West Line

East-West Line

Hamilton E. Holmes. Formerly Hightower. Two side platforms, two tracks, elevated. This station was opened on December 22, 1979. Each platform has a roof area, with the supports arching over the tracks. There is a bus area next to the mezzanine.

West Lake. Two side platforms, two tracks, ground level. This station was opened on December 22, 1979. The walls along the platforms are tiled and colored in a way that makes wide, diagonal stripes along them, the colors are a rainbow of warm colors. There is a blue strip along the tops of the walls with the station name written out and "All stations are under camera surveillance." (The only station I've seen with this written, draw your own conclusions.) There is a steel truss roof.

Bankhead. Single island platform, two tracks, elevated. This station was opened on December 12, 1992. This is a one station spur off the main line. The station is only 150 feet long, enough only for a two car train. I believe that it is expandable to make a four car train. There is a red gabled roof over the platform. There is a bus area outside fare control. Since Bankhead is a terminal station, a track is provided to both store a two car train and turn back a second two car train at the same time.

Ashby. The Ashby station is an unusual configuration. It is an underground station on two levels, with one track on each level. (If both tracks were on the same level, it would resemble one island platform and a side platform on the eastbound side.) The tracks are nearly over one another. You can see the tunnels split right past the west end of the station. The walls along the platform are marble, and the walls next to the track are blue tile. The ceiling is a waffle design painted white. There is a painting on the westbound platform, on the blue tile. This mural depicts the city of Atlanta and Atlanta University Center. The railing that keeps you from falling down to the lower level is painted blue. This station was opened on December 22, 1979.

Vine City. Single island platform, two tracks, underground/ground level. The west end of the station is above ground, and the remaining 3/4 is fairly deep underground, it has somewhat long stairs to reach the platform. The columns and floor of the platform is made of brick. The walls along the tracks have rectangular panels that are painted in shades of gray and blue. The mezzanine has brick columns and a steel roof. This station was opened on December 22, 1979.

Dome/GWCC/Philips Arena/CNN Center. Single island platform, two tracks, underground. The ceiling over the mezzanine and platform is waffled, and in each of the squares inside of them, there is an orange panel. Part of the ceiling over the platform is an arched waffle. Everything is made of cement. The west end of the station is briefly at the surface, covered by road bridges. Just past the station, the train goes back underground. This station has the most number of faregates and escalators to handle the crowds for events at the former Omni and Georgia World Congress Center. Today it services the new Phillips Arena, Georgia World Congress Center and Georgia Dome. While travel up or down the escalators there is concrete mural depicting the industrial revolution. This station was opened on December 22, 1979.

Five Points. This is the main transfer point between the North-South and East-West lines of the MARTA system. Five Points is a subway station and was opened in December 1979, serving the East-West line only. The North-South Line level was opened on December 4, 1981. The station is built on four levels, the topmost level being a plaza area on the surface, down from which one can view the mezzanine. The mezzanine has the faregates, as well as an underground passageway outside the paid area to Underground Atlanta. Below this, the East-West line platform, and finally, the bottom level, the North-South line platform. Both East-West and North-South lines have an island platform and two side platforms serving two tracks. The walls along the side platforms have an red tile that goes up to about 9 feet high, after that, the walls are white. All the columns are made of marble imported from Italy around them. There are LED scrolling signs referred to as a Visual Public Address System (VPAS) along all the platforms. These signs display work in conjunction with a audion public address system to display recorded messages to passengers. At the ends of the platforms of the north/south level, there is the original facade of the Eiseman Building from downtown Atlanta preserved and reconstructed with around false windows. They go up is high as the east/west platforms, so that you can see them from there. All signs on the North-South line are orange, while the signs on the East-West are blue.

Georgia State. Two side platforms, two tracks, elevated. The station is below the Twin Towers State buildings (Sloppy Floyd Building), next to the lobby. The mezzanine is below the platforms. The walls of the station are all brick. There is "basket weave" artwork on the walls of the mezzanine. The west end of the station is over Piedmont Ave. The train becomes elevated going eastbound. This station was opened on June 30, 1979.

The section between Georgia State east to Avondale was the first section of the line to begin operating, with Decatur the only subway station in the stretch.

King Memorial. Two side platforms, two tracks, elevated. This is the highest station in the system, being 51 feet above the ground. The roof of the station is steel with skylights in them. Columns supporting the roof are round, made of cement, and are covers with stainless steel. The walls along the platform are cement, painted yellow and about 7 or 8 feet high, so you can't see through them, except through narrow gaps between each section. The walls curve inward toward the top. There are emergency staicases that run fron the platform to the street. Freight lines run along the eastbound side of the tracks from here until East Lake station. When you are traveling westbound past this station, you get a nice view of Downtown and Midtown with Buckhead in the distance. The route serving the Bankhead station normally terminates here. This station was opened on June 30, 1979.

Inman Park/Reynoldstown. Two side platforms, two tracks, ground level. This station is setup like Lakewood-Fort McPherson. Entrances on either side of the station have bus areas and a pedestrian bridge to the turnstiles at the mezzanine. The walls of the mezzanine and platforms are made of brick. This station was opened on June 30, 1979.

Edgewood/Candler Park. Single island platform, two tracks, ground level. Also set up like Lakewood. The mezzanine has a blue ceiling. On the platform, the ceiling over the track is orange in color. The ceiling above the platform is a big skylight as wide as the platform. This station has cement decorated to appear like wood on its walls. The roof over the platform is supported by cement columns that are on the outside of the tracks. This station was opened on June 30, 1979.

Between Edgewood/Candler Park and East Lake stations, the tracks separate to distinct rights-of-way, plus a middle track. This area is known as North Druid Hills Junction which is an interlocking for a North Dekalb Line that was never built.

East Lake. Single island platform, two tracks, ground level. Also set up like Lakewood. Fare control is at the mezzanine level. The ceiling over the platform is waffled. The mezzanine roof is supported buy steel columns. Cement columns support the mezzanine over the platform. Toward the outer portions of the platform that not below the mezzanine, the roof over the platform is supported by steel beams and has a steel roof. This station was opened on June 30, 1979. MARTA's opening cermonies and speeches took place in the south parking lot at this station.

Decatur. Two side platforms, two tracks, underground. This station has what I call a futuristic 1980's look to it. It has mirrored columns and ceilings. Brown square tiles on the walls of the middle of the station. The walls towards the ends of the station are "rippled" and are yellow. There are round orange air ducts that run above the platform edges. The middle of the station has a painting on both sides of the station that runs from the floor to the top of the mezzanine above. This station was opened on June 30, 1979.

Avondale. Two island platforms, four tracks, ground level. This is the only station configured this way. Currently, only the inside two tracks are being used for mainline service to Indian Creek. There is roof renovation work going on the outer side of the west platform, plywood runs down the middle, cutting the westbound platform in half. Towards the ends of the platforms, roof is supported by I-beams. There are skylights over middle portions of platforms. Westbound trains crawl into the station, most likely because of all the switches it crosses. The Avondale Yard is visible past the east end of the station. The yard is accessible from all four tracks.

Kensington. Single island platform, two tracks, ground level. This station is in a trench like Lindbergh. Everything is made of cement. Sides of the trench have granite rock and grass. The roof is cement and gabled at a shallow angle. There is a bus area, above the eastbound side of the station. This station opened in June 1993.

Indian Creek. Single island platform, two tracks, ground level/trench. Indian Creek is a terminal station. The station has arched roof, with a wood ceiling, supported by steel beams. On the eastbound side of tracks, there is a wavy granite wall that runs from the ground, and up to the top of the mezzanine. Between this wall and the tracks, there is 3D artwork, which are colored silhouettes of dancing people. Much of the station's walls have rectangular blue tile on them. There was a runaway train at this station which plowed through the bumper post and derailed. This happened during the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta in July of 1996. This station was opened in June, 1993.

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