Atlanta’s public transit agency faces big challenges with days to go before the World Cup.
Those challenges compounded over the weekend into the first week of June.
The most glaring: riders worried about safety after a deadly random knife attack on a MARTA train on Saturday.
On top of that, the agency is still having trouble rolling out its new tap-to-pay fare gates, including some that have already been shattered in several stations across the system.
Then, on Tuesday, MARTA reps said the long-anticipated new rail cars did not get the safety certification necessary to begin revenue service.
MARTA officials declined FOX 5’s request to speak about any of those issues on camera.
“MARTA is not ready at all for the World Cup,” rider Ashianna Haynes told FOX 5 at MARTA’s Midtown station Tuesday afternoon.
Haynes said she was on a train that passed the bloody crime scene at the Oakland City station on Saturday that left 66-year-old Margaret Swan dead, after a random stabbing on another train.
FOX 5 asked Haynes if she felt safe riding MARTA.
“No, but I mean, I have no choice,” Haynes said. “I have to get back and forth to work or whatnot.”
The safety crisis is on top of infrastructure issues, including delayed tap-to-pay fare gates through the “Better Breeze” system.
Transit advocate Darin Givens, who co-founded the urbanism advocacy organization Thread ATL, expressed frustration over the bungled rollout.
“I’m very disappointed that all of the new gates aren’t up and running,” he said. “I’m very disappointed to see all of the pictures online of shattered glass on the new ones.”
He said the agency’s communication on the rollout has been unclear, pointing out that while MARTA is again enforcing fares, not all gates have been installed.
Officials have not yet confirmed exactly when the new railcars will be ready to enter public service after hitting a certification snag.
“MARTA has a robust service plan in place to provide safe, clean, reliable transportation throughout the World Cup for visitors and residents alike,” a MARTA spokesperson wrote in an email. “We look forward to introducing the first of our new trains when they are ready for revenue service.”
A spokesperson for the Georgia Department of Transportation said the state agency is working with MARTA to, “review and evaluate required safety documentation, testing results and operational readiness materials related to the new railcars.”
The MARTA Police Department has 280 sworn officers and 30 Field Protective Specialists (non-sworn security personnel).
Security resources include more than 12,000 cameras throughout rail stations, buses, and railcars, as well as a real-time crime center that the agency monitors during operation hours.
MARTA police statistics show that violent crime inside the transit network decreased 26% in 2025 compared to the prior year.
RELATED: MARTA crime: A look at crime stats before FIFA World Cup
Despite that drop, rider Jaiden Kirkman insisted that visible security guards remain hard to find.
“There just needs to be more security, especially on the train. On the train, just not really any security. It’s just like the conductor, the like in the front and (shrugs),” Kirkman said.
Transit officials declined interview requests but stated via email that extra officers will work overtime to patrol trains, buses and stations during the soccer tournament.
“We are committed to do everything we can to protect our customers and employees and respond quickly when incidents occur,” a MARTA spokesperson said. “We will continue investing in the people, technology and partnerships that keep our riders and employees safe.”
Riders like Kirkman remain highly skeptical about whether the system can successfully handle the influx of international soccer fans.
“I don’t think the trains are ready for all the people, especially not the buses,” he said. “The buses are terrible right now.”
