ATLANTA — The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority has shut down its 3-mile-long downtown streetcar line after inspections found wheel degradation that could pose a safety risk, WSB-TV reports.
Reporter Newspapers, citing a paywalled Atlanta Journal-Constitution report, says repairs are expected to cost $7.4 million and are expected to be completed by the end of March. The problems resulted from wheel imbalance developing through years of use, and caused concrete around the rails in the steets to deteriorate. The cars will be returned to a Siemens facility in Colorado for repairs, according to WAGA-TV.
The cars were removed from service on Nov. 29 and have been replaced by paratransit vans, with ridership falling from about 3,500 passengers per week to about 600. The vans will continue to provide alternative service, but will be wrapped with the streetcars’ color scheme and logos to make the service more recognizable. That service will be free.
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