Peachtree Center station
| Company type | Rapid transit station |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public transportation |
| Founded | September 11, 1982 |
| Headquarters | Atlanta , United States |
| Products | MARTA Red and Gold rail lines service |
Peachtree Center is an underground MARTA station serving the Red and Gold routes within the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority rail network. Positioned at the greatest depth in the MARTA system, it lies beneath Peachtree Street. This station caters to the Peachtree Center district in downtown Atlanta and offers connectivity to Georgia State University through the Atlanta Streetcar. Situated just to the north-northeast of the Five Points interchange, it ranks among the most heavily trafficked stations on the Red and Gold Lines, accommodating upwards of 15,000 riders each weekday.
Station layout
| G | Street Level | Entry/Exit points |
| M | Mezzanine | Ticket barriers |
| Platform level | Southbound | ← Red Line, Gold Line heading toward Airport (Five Points) |
| Island platform, doors open on left side | ||
| Northbound | Gold Line bound for Doraville (Civic Center) → Red Line traveling toward North Springs (Civic Center) → | |
Interior design
This station is built with an island platform serving two tracks. The flooring consists of gray tiles, while the walls are composed of solid gneiss rock, complemented by steel panels on the ceiling. Access is facilitated by four escalator banks; notably, the Carnegie Way/Ellis Street entrance on the southwest side features MARTA’s longest escalators, reputedly the longest in the Southeast U.S.. After undergoing a two-year refurbishment, the Ellis Street entrance was reopened on August 24, 2012. The Harris Street entrance on the northwest side includes a MARTA system map showcasing previously proposed transit lines.
In popular culture
This station was featured in the 1985 movie The Heavenly Kid.
Nearby landmarks and popular destinations
- American Cancer Society Center (formerly Inforum)
- AmericasMart
- Atlanta Central Library
- Atlanta Marriott Marquis
- Atlanta Streetcar
- Centennial Olympic Park
- Children's Museum of Atlanta
- CNN Center
- College Football Hall of Fame
- Georgia Aquarium
- Georgia World Congress Center
- Hard Rock Cafe
- Mall at Peachtree Center
- Mercedes-Benz Stadium
- National Center for Civil and Human Rights
- Peachtree Center
- Rialto Center for the Arts
- SAE Institute
- State Farm Arena
- Truist Plaza
- Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel
- Woodruff Park
- World of Coca-Cola
Bus routes
MARTA bus service at this station includes:
- Route 40 - Downtown / Peachtree Street
Connections to other transit networks
Construction
Although MARTA's North Line started operating between the Garnett and North Avenue stops on December 4, 1981, the Peachtree Center station officially opened later, on September 11, 1982. The station was constructed by tunneling through solid gneiss rock, offering robust underground structural support. In areas where the rock was inadequate, compressed air techniques were applied to stabilize the excavation walls during building, necessitating workers to follow compression and decompression protocols similar to those used by deep-sea divers. This makes Peachtree Center one of the rare stations globally with walls and ceilings sculpted directly from solid rock.
Notable features include:
- The entrance opposite the Atlanta Public Library boasts a 190-foot escalator—the longest escalator in the Southeastern United States.
- The total cost of construction was around $45 million.
- The station is located 120 feet below ground level.
- Its total length extends to 900 feet.
Excavation utilized drill-and-blast techniques with continuous vibration monitoring along Peachtree Street to safeguard adjacent structures.
The location previously hosted "The House That Jack Built," an unusual commercial property erected by Jasper Newton "Jack" Smith in the late 19th century. As part of a leasing arrangement, two marble slabs inscribed from Smith’s building were preserved and positioned near the subway entrance when Peachtree Center station commenced operations in 1982.