You can look at the MARTA train system map to see where you can get on and off the train, but what’s the process?
The Simple Answer
Once you have a Breeze Card, look for the gates. There should be plenty of signage at each station telling you where to go. Scan your card at one of the turnstiles, and the gate will open. Walk through and find the signs to the train you want. They’re usually listed by the direction you want to travel.
Head up or down the stairs/escalator/elevator and just wait on the platform until your train arrives. There are monitors to tell you when to expect the trains, and automated announcements will let you know when the train is 5 minutes out, 2 minutes out, and arriving.
Multiple lines run on the same tracks, so be sure to get on the one you want. The trains have displays on them showing the end of the line they’re running. For example, this one says Doraville, so I know it’s a Gold Line train heading north.
The More Complicated Answer
At some stations, the buses arrive at a different place than you would if walking off the street or from the parking decks. At North Avenue, for example, the buses arrive above the concourse, so you have to go down a flight of stairs to get to the gates. There should be plenty of signs to show you the way. Or just follow the crowd like I do.
The train schedule is pretty regular and published on the MARTA website. In general, they run every 20 minutes during the week – with more frequency at rush hours. The Saturday schedule is different. The Sunday schedule is different.
The trains wait about 30 seconds at each stop. The operator watches the platform to see what’s going on, but, if you aren’t moving toward the doors within a few seconds, they’ll close on you!
At the end of the lines (North Springs, Doraville, Indian Creek, Bankhead, Hamilton E. Holmes, and Airport Stations), the trains tend to linger a bit. This is usually for shift changes for rail operators or to get back on schedule if they’re early. This is pretty normal but doesn’t happen each time. If the trains need to go, they will go with or without you, so get on as soon as you can.
The Details
A lot of stations (most of them?) have multiple sets of gates. Chamblee Station has gates on the Peachtree Road side and another set on the New Peachtree Road (what creative naming!) side. Some just have several ways to get to the same set of gates. North Avenue has a set of gates with a street and bus entrance to them.
Some stations have several levels of concourse, so you may have to go up or down several sets of stairs. For example, Peachtree Center Station is way underground, so you take a very long escalator down to a plaza where the gates are, then walk across the concourse to another set of stairs down to the platform.
Getting to the station from a bus may add another level with an additional set of stairs. Arts Center has an escalator from the bus lanes to the concourse. The buses may have their own set of gates as well. At North Springs Station, for example, there is a set of gates for the parking deck side and another on the bus side. At North Avenue Station, you have to go down a set of stairs to get to the gates from the bus.