Atlanta

Atlanta’s new streetcar system will be up and running by Dec. 31, Mayor Kasim Reed told reporters on Wednesday, according to WXIA-TV.

ATLANTA — The Georgia General Assembly has approved a pair of measures related to MARTA’s operations, and the bills await the signature of Gov. Nathan Deal. House Bill 264 would suspend a section of the MARTA Act of 1965 that prohibits the agency from using more than 50 percent of its annual sales and use tax proceeds for operating costs. Should Deal sign the bill into law, the prohibition would be removed until June 30, 2019. The measure would also increase the contract amount for which Board approval is required from $100,000 to $200,000, allowing bonds to be sold through

The laying of tracks for Atlanta’s new street is nearly complete, but the opening of the new line may be delayed, new reports suggest.

The Georgia state Senate has passed a resolution that would create a central website for metro Atlanta’s four public transportation agencies.

MARTA will not operate the new Atlanta streetcar when it begins operations next year, WABE reported.

Cities with direct rail access from the airport to and from downtown receive nearly 11 percent more revenue per room than hotels in cities without such a connection, according to a report from the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) and the U.S. Travel Association. The study, A New Partnership: Rail Transit and Convention Growth, shows higher revenue per room translates to a potential $313 million in revenue per year for so-called “rail cities.” In the post-recession period, rail cities commanded 16 percent higher revenue per room than hotels in non-rail cities, the organizations said. “Clearly investment in local rail systems