Atlanta, GA
Stop on the proposed 17,000-mile maglev network. Next stop: Athens, GA (59.3 mi).
About Atlanta
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the county seat of Fulton County and extends into neighboring DeKalb County. With a population of 498,715 at the 2020 census and an estimated 529,110 in 2025, Atlanta is the eighth-most populous city in the Southeast and the 36th-most populous city in the United States.
Source: Wikipedia summary (full article). Population and facts as published there.
Cost breakdown (proposal-scale estimates — see math)
| Item | Basis | Estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Terminal construction | Major hub — metro tier (range $4–8B) | $6B |
| Land acquisition | Regional factor 1.5× on $200M base | $300M |
| Track: Atlanta → Athens | 59.3 mi × $500M/mi | $29.6B |
| Annual operations (share) | Staffing, power, maintenance | $120M/yr |
| Stop total (excl. annual ops) | $35.9B |
Best terminal location (proposed)
The Gulch rail yard district adjacent to Five Points MARTA. The Gulch is the largest underdeveloped parcel in downtown Atlanta, sitting directly over the region's busiest rail throat and the Five Points convergence of all four MARTA lines. It offers a once-in-a-generation footprint for a through-running terminal, with demand from the entire metro and direct airport connections via the Red/Gold lines.
Before / after
Aerial mock-up (illustrative, not an engineering rendering). Left: the proposed site today. Right: with the maglev terminal.
- Decatur, GA — DeKalb County seat on the eastern rail corridor.
- Conyers, GA — Rockdale County hub on the I-20/US-138 corridor.
- Monroe, GA — Walton County seat on the US-78 corridor.