MARTA's Avondale Rail Station

Join MARTA's Blue Line Rail Operator, Faith Simmons, as she takes us on a tour of the Avondale surrounding neighborhood, and shows us the most popular destinations served by Avondale station buses, but also a glimpse into MARTA's Avondale Rail Yard and Rail Service Control Center. Avondale Station was one of MARTA's original seven rail stations that opened June 30, 1979. It is located just outside the city of Avondale with its affluent Tudor style homes and quiet tree-lined streets. The Avondale Station spans the CSX railroad and has an entrance off East Ponce de Leon Avenue on the north, and another off East College Avenue to the south. Both sides of the Avondale station have bus loops with a variety of community destinations including Your DeKalb Farmer's Market; The DeKalb Medical Center; Emory Hospital and Village; Virgiinia-Highlands restaurants; the Toco Hills Shopping Center; North DeKalb Mall; Downtown Tucker and Tucker High School; DeKalb Technical College; Perimeter College at the Clarkston Campus, DeVry University, Northlake Mall,and the Stone Mountain Village. Faith also shows the solar-powered canopy at MARTA's Laredo Bus Garage, and takes us on a quick bus ride from the Avondale station to the Laredo facility and the DeKalb Farmer's Market directly across the street. The "brains" of the MARTA rail control is located in a building next to the Avondale rail station... the Rail Services Control Center. We'll take a peek inside and learn more about it. To see "Behind the Scenes" photos, visit MARTA's web site at http://www.itsmarta.com/avondale-stat...