Opinion
Opinion: The World Cup showed MARTA what it can be — now keep it up
If MARTA can run five-minute headways, deploy ambassadors at every station, and move 220,000 rail riders in a day, why can't it do that on a Tuesday in September?
Tag
World-Cup
8 stories
Local
MARTA shatters single-day ridership record as 220,000 rail riders flood system for World Cup
Wednesday's Morocco-Haiti match drove rail ridership to 2.3 times its normal weekday volume. Transit officials say the agency has moved 1.7 million passengers to World Cup events since June 11.
Sports
Spain routs Saudi Arabia 4–0 in Atlanta as Yamal and Oyarzabal shine at Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Lamine Yamal opened the scoring in the 11th minute before Mikel Oyarzabal added a brace and an own goal sealed a dominant Group H victory in front of a raucous Atlanta crowd.
Local
Atlanta Crime Down 14% This Year, but Transit Violence Keeps Public on Edge
Robberies, burglaries and car thefts have plummeted, yet a string of random attacks on MARTA has complicated the city's public safety narrative
Things to do
Decatur WatchFest '26 turns downtown into an open-air World Cup party through July 19
Decatur's downtown square is hosting live match screenings, food trucks, a beer garden, and family activities during every televised World Cup game through the end of the tournament.
Local
MARTA postpones new CQ400 railcar debut, misses World Cup target
The agency had aimed to have its new railcars in service for the FIFA World Cup, but ongoing testing and safety certification requirements pushed the rollout past the June 11 start date.
Business
Centennial Yards Lands The Busy Bee, Varuni Napoli and Chops Lobster Bar Ahead of World Cup
The downtown development is expanding its culinary footprint with iconic Atlanta restaurant brands as hundreds of thousands of visitors prepare to descend on the city.
Things to do
Georgia Aquarium triples the size of its otter exhibit ahead of the World Cup, betting big on a tourism summer
The aquarium's most ambitious renovation since 2020 opens to the public Saturday, in time for the World Cup tourism surge. The new exhibit adds a second otter species and triples the visitor capacity.