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FROM THE ARCHIVES OF BOB SCHREIBER, FORMER SUPERVISOR, MARTA RAIL CENTRAL CONTROL
1980-12Dec-31-MARTA-PB-T.pdf
https://www.scribd.com/document/105140115/December-31-1980-MARTA-Rail-History#

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SEE: Atlanta Streetcar-Siemens S-70-Specifications.pdf
https://www.siemens.com/content/dam/webassetpool/mam/tag-siemens-com/smdb/mobility/rail/rolling-stock/trams-and-light-rail-
vehicles/s70/documents/brochures/portland-s70-data-sheet.pdf

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The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit System
A technological success story
The Atlanta rail system is the third in a series of
brand-new heavy rail transit systems built in the U.S.
in recent years. The San Francisco BART System was
opened f irst, then segments of the Washington, D.C.,
Metro.
Many of the engineers on the MARTA project had
worked on one or both of these other systems, and
they brought that experience with them to Atlanta.
The result is a long stride forward in the tech-
nology of high-speed rapid transit. Georgia Profes-
sional Engineer magazine called the System "a
technological success story."
On-time performance best ref lects the MARTA
System's efficiency. During its first week of opera-
tions, MARTA put 457 trains on the line and all but one
completed its run. The System racked up an on-time
perf ormance record of 94.6% the f irst week and
boosted that achievement to g8% within two months.
The federal Department of Transportation is par-
ticularly pleased with the successful operation of the
MARTA System. The national program to reduce gas-
oline consumption by commuters depends to a large
extent on the availability of good public transporta-
tion systems. MARTA proves that transit engineers
, cah produce new systems which work efficiently and
dependably.

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 Nearly 100,000 people patronized MARTA's East
Line the first week of operations. They came to ride
the fast trains and survey the shiny, new stations.
In spite of years of newspaper, radio and television "Let's go ride
reporting, the Atlantans were surprised at the speed
and quietness of the trains and the attractiveness of
the passenger stations. They adopted the new MAR-
the MARTA train"
TA rail system with obvious civic pride.
Sitting on wide, upholstered seats, old-timers told the Atlantans, "This System represents the best
recalled the memories of riding trains; and youngsters of what can be done between federal and local
sat entranced, gazing in awe as Atlanta f rom an entire- governments." That evening, thousands of Americans
ly different viewpoint slid past the picture windows. watching their television sets at dinnertime would
The line f rom Avondale Station to downtown Atlanta hear him proclaim: "This is not mass transportation;
rises and descends in long grades, so the riders got a this is class transportation."
mixture of surface, subway and elevated views. In the audience, d little girl in a Sunday smock
Some patrons just wandered through the first tugged her father's beard and queried, "When are we
seven stations on the East Line admiring the design going to ride the train?"
and finish materials. Everything was in place-Sys- When the last speaker brought the audience to the
tem maps on the walls, telephones, restrooms, plenty last round of applause, the crowd surged through the
of signing and artwork. MARTA attendants stood by station toward the shiny new train with the broad
the fare gates to demonstrate how they worked. bands of MARTA yellow, orange and blue emblazoned
The System operated with hardly a hitch. across the front.
Today, the West Line, from Five Points to High- "Now !"
tower, joins the East Line in carrying close to 85,000
revenue trips a day. When the entire rail system is
completed, patronage will be approximately 370,000
trips a day.
Opening Day
It was a shirtsleeves day, June 30, 1979. Under a
bright Georgia sun, 1,500 Atlantans gathered at the
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East Lake Station to celebrate the opening of the f irst \
MARTA rail transit line. Wide strips of colorf u I bu nt-
ing hung in gentle folds across the station ceiling.
The band played, the politicians orated, and the
listeners applauded with genteel appreciation. Seven-
teen years of effort had gone into planning and build-
ing the MARTA System. Dozens of civic leaders had
nudged the project, a step at a time, toward this
festive occasion. The speakers recalled their names kf r$.-^rz
-

and pinned them with rhetorical medals.

Brock Adams, U.S. Secretary of Transportation,

3 martEt
 The last 60 months . . .
Vehicle 80 cars manufactured, tested and delivered.

Train Control System Central control complex completed. Wayside system installed
on East and West lines.

Electric Power System Substations constructed at 19 locations and third rail installed
on East and West lines.

Fare Collection System Design and installation of equipment completed along East and
West lines.

Transit Lines Construction completed on 11.8 miles and unden^ray on 4.4

miles.

Passenger Stations Construction completed on 12 and under way on 6 more.

Trackwork Trackbed, ties, and rail installation completed on 11.8 miles.

Yards and Shops Main yard and shops completed at Avondale.

Communications Systems Manufactured, installed and tested on East and West lines.

Right ol Way 1,129 parcels acquired.

Relocation of Railroads Completed along East and West lines.

Relocation of Utilities Completed along East-West and initial North-South line.

Construction Contracts 59 contracts completed or under way.

Procurement Contracts 36 contracts completed or under way.

Proj ect status. as of December 31,1980

Although most of MARTA's East and West
lines are complete and in revenue service, the
53-mile network is only 24% complete. The
construction workload under Phase A is $550
million. lt will be $806 million under Phases B
and C. Design work volume was $177 million
under Phase A. Phases B and C will require
$123 million. Construction management costs
will total $18 million under Phase A. Phases B
and C will require $48 million.
The System will require acquisition of a
total 2,500 parcels of land. At the peak of con-
struction on Phase A, more than 2,400 workers
were employed on-site, with an estimated
10,000 off-site involved in production of ma-
terials and equipment. More than 3,500 pro-
fessional engineers have been, or will be, in-
volved In development of the System.
 and the next 60
It takes 17 years to complete a new transit sys-
tem-make feasibility studies, pass legislation, raise
money, develop conceptual plans, design equipment
and lines and stations, and construct.
Between the awarding of MARTA's f irst construc-
tion contract and completion of the last lie 10 years of
hard work.
Because it is dependent upon available federal
funding, the project is being built in phases.
The open ing of the East and West Lines com-
pleted much of Phase A. At one time, the agency had
over $600 million worth of contracts in force for con-
struction and equipment. Phase A, when complete,
will have cost more than $1 billion.
Phase A consists of 13.7 miles of lines and 17 sta-
tions, includ ing 1 1 .8 m iles and 1 3 stations on the East
and West Lines. Phases B and C will consist of an ad-
ditional 21.5 miles of lines and 13 stations on the
North and South Lines.
Phase A saw much of the system-wide design task
completed. Engineers finished drafting of criteria for
operating equipment, design of the train, design of
the automatic train-control system, design of the trac-
tion power system, design of the fare system, and
design of the communications systems.
CON.STRUCTION
EXPEN DITURE
COMPARISON
T (Phase A/Phase B and
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o Phase A Phase B and C
o peak of $30 million a month, com-
Most of the equipment contracts for Phases B and
C will be for purchase and installation of equipment
similar to that tested and proven in Phase A.
However, the dollars involved in construction of
Phase B and C lines and stations will exceed those
spent on Phase A. Under the schedule for B and C,
MARTA will spend $1.6 billion in the next five years.
Construction expenditures will reach a peak of $30
million a month, nearly twice as high as the peak of
$16.6 million a month during Phase A. This assumes
the receipt of federal aid at a sustained rate.
Engineers will have to scramble to complete an
estimated 39 major construction contracts and bring
them to the bidding stage between 1981 and 1984.
The design effort will peak at a higher level, also.
Phase A engineering costs hit $2.4 million a month in
1975. lf federal aid materializes at a planned level,
engineering effort will be boosted to a high of $4
m il lion a month in 1981 and 1982.
ln short, all the big numbers in Phase A are even
bigger in Phases B and C. That means more employ-
ment for local workers, more materials for local pro-
ducers, and heavier responsibilities for the MARTA
and the PB/T engineering management team.
$30 MILLION
PER MONTH
Checking over new vehicle in
Trains undergo extensive testing
prior to being put into revenue
service.
Left: Construction on the MARTA
Syslem could be accelerated to a
pared with a peak of $16.6 million
under Phase A.
 Building the North and South Lines
MARTA's nine-mile-long South line will carry The southward lines out of Peachtree Center were
patrons to and from Atlanta's new airport. From Five tunneled, first through rock, then through mixed ma-
Points Station in the heart of Atlanta to Airport Sta- terials. As construction moved into softer ground,
tion, it will provide seven passenger stations. with the.possibility of water intrusion and ground set-
The line emerges from subway just south of Five tlement, excavation required compressed-air tun-
Points and mounts 2.5 miles of 3O-foot-high aerial neling techniques.
structure to clear urban arterials and cross Interstate
Highway 20. Construction of MARTA's Airport Station
was scheduled to coincide with the construction of
Atlanta's new airport terminal.
The North Line will be 14.4 miles long, from Five
Points Station to Doraville. Patrons will board the
system through 10 stations.
The line runs in subway from Five Points to
Brookwood, then goes onto aerial structure and at
grade.
The largest station on the North Line is Peachtree
Center, which serves Atlanta's retail and off ice center
and a number of new skyscraper hotels. An estimated
34,000 patrons a day will be using this station by 1990,
doubling to 70,000 a day by Year 2000. The Peachtree
Center Station is under construction now and is
scheduled for completion in late 1982. The cavern for
the big subway station has been carved out of nearly
solid granite. lt measures 700 feet long by 60 feet
wide, and is as high as a four-story building.
Construction on South Line is typical of the work under way.

MARTA is providing long-term employment for

thousands of construction workers. lt will be Excavation of solid rock for Peachtree Center Station is largely
another f ive years before the North and South complete. MARTA has awarded a $21-million contract for f inish
Lines are complete. construction of the station.
 MARTA trains:70 miles per hour

Specif ications:
Length of A and B cars: 75 ft. . Width of body: 10 ft.6 in.. Height: 11 ft.6 in..Emp-
ty weight: 76,000 lbs.. Seating capacity: 68.. Exterior: Extruded aluminum, w€lded,
with brushed f inish . . Propulsion: Electrical, nominal 750 VDC, third rail distribution..
Maximum acceleration rate: 3 mphps.. Maximum speed: 70 mph.. Braking systems:
Electric dynamic supplemented with blended friction brakes of air over hydraulic
type.. Suspension system: Cast steel articulated truck. Air suspension with auto-
matic load levelling.. Ride quality: At 4.0 Hz frequency, acceleration is 0.02 g on a
lateral scale and 0.025 g on a vertical scale. At 30 Hz f requency, acceleration is 0.08 g
on a lateral scale, and 0.10 g on a vertical scale. . Interior noise level: At 30 mph on
standard track, maximum of 67 dBA.. Wayside noise level:80.5 dBA 50 ft. from track
. . Carpeting: 100o/o yirgin wool,4-ply, with cushioning foam and anti-static wires.
 New transit technology has concentrated heavily
upon development of better vehicles-trains which will
operate more dependably, accelerate more smoothly,
travel more quietly, provide more comfortable seating,
and offer greater savings in maintenance and in energy
consumption.
MARTA and PB/T engineers, many of whom have
designed other transit systems, brought their experience
to the development of the MARTA vehicle.
MARTA trains consist of two to eight individually
powered cars. They will accelerate at an initial rate of 3
miles per hour per second and reach a top speed of 70
miles per hour,
Each car can carry 68 seated passengers and 82
standees. The exterior is brushed aluminum. The interior
is attractively f urnished with upholstered seats, carpeted
f loors, pleasant lighting, and colorf ul dt!cor.
Vehicles are powered by four electric motors drawing
power from 750-volt direct current wayside contact rails.
They employ both dynamic and friction braking systems
and an "air bag" suspension system.
PB/T engineers gave considerable attention to noise
and vibration control, not only to provide a quieter ride for
patrons in the car, but also to reduce impact on the adja-
cent environment. That task began with the track system,
but much of the effort was concentrated in car design. As
a result the MARTA train is probably one of the quietest in
operation.
The vehicles are being manufactured in France by
Soci6t6 Franco-Belge, a major builder of cars for Euro-
pean rail and transit systems. The first 120 cars are being
obtained under a contract for $80 million. Eighty vehicles
have been delivered to date.
Two of the cars have been operating at the Depart-
ment of Transportation test track in Pueblo, Colorado.
There, engineers have been subjecting the new design to
extensive testing. The findings will benefit MARTA and
other rail transit systems around the U.S.
lnterior of MARTA train leatures comfortable seating, even
lighting, and attractive deicor.
Equal employment program
scores high
During the height of the Phase A design
and construction program, Parsons Brincker-
hoff/Tudor built its staff to over 600 men and
women. Employees now number 422, of
whom 38 percent are minorities and 23 are
f em ale.
o ln the professional ranks,
23oh are mi.
norities and 6"h are female.
o In the technician ranks, 49% are minor-
ities and 18"/" are female.
o In the clerical ranks, 827" are minori-
ties and 89% are female.
What makes them particularly impressive
is the fact that rapid transit design is highly
specialized and the labor pool of available
talent is small. That PB/T has been able to
bring so many minorities onto the job is testi-
mony to an aggressive EEO program.
MARTA Engineering Wins
Top Design Awards
The National Society of Prof essional
Engineers recently recognized the Atlanta
transit project as one of the nation's "Out-
standing Engineering Achievements." The
award was announced at the society's annual
convention in Detroit.
The award was presented to the MARTA
and PB/T engineering organizations by Gov-
ernor George Busbee in a local ceremony
sponsored by the Georgia Society of Profes-
sional Engineers. Governor Busbee said,
"We are proud of MARTA and the engineer-
ing accomplishment it represents."
Earlier this year, the Consulting Engi-
neers Council of Georgia also named the
MARTA System for its annual "Engineering
Excellence Award." The award was based on
innovations in engineering, plus recognition
for the massive design program involved.
10

Survei I lance system protects patrons

It would take dozens of transit security off icers to
patrol MARTA's passenger stations. Much of this task
is being eff iciently carried out by a closed-circuit TV
system. Some 160 cameras in strategic locations
throughout stations provide continuous surveillance.
In communications zone centers for each of the
four lines, supervisors can watch the ebb and flow of
patrons and detect problems as soon as they occur, or
before.
Patrons have become used to hearing a courteous
but authoritative voice boom out of the public address
system: "Will the little boy in the white t-shirt with
Darth Vader on the front please step back from the
edge of the platform . . Thank you."
The television surveillance system is only one of
ten separate communications systems designed for
MARTA under criteria developed by PB/T. Others in-
clude: 1) a system to carry a continuous f low of train
movement data to the central control complex, 2) a
system to monitor all of the electrical devices on the
transit system, including ventilation fans, 3) a system
to report f ires and illegal intrusions,4)three telephone
systems to handle emergencies, maintenance opera-
tions, and administration, and 5) three radio systems
to connect trains with central control, to serve secu-
rity forces, and to serve yard personnel in assembling
trains.

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Special fare gates make it easier for handicapped
patrons to use the new transit system.
Flexible fare system
MARTA'S fare-collection system is in-
tended to permit thousands of patrons to
move rapidly through the station and onto
trains. Strategic placement of fare gates
was one consideration. Design of equip-
ment wh ich wou ld accept f ares rapid ly
was another.
MARTA's gates will accept coins and a
variety of magnetically-encoded tickets.
The agency is selling cards for commuters
and half-fare passes for senior citizens.
The weekly and monthly commuter passes
are good for an unlimited number of rides
on both trains and buses.
The agency has installed extra-wide
fare gates for wheelchair access in all sta-
tions.
PB/T with its consultants drafted the
criteria for MARTA's fare-collection sys-
tem, wrote the specifications, and super-
vised testing and installation.
11
Automatic
Train Controls
The MARTA train control system utilizes railroad
signalling principles and computer-aided information
processing to provide Line Supervision (LS), Automatic
Train Protection (ATP), and Automatic Train Operation
(ATO). MARTA and PB/T engineers established early that
protected operation in the event of equipment failures
was essential, with back-up modes of manual operation.
Line Supervision (LS) includes the display board, TV-
tube annunciators, keyboards, and computers at Central
Control, and associated equipment in each station and on
cars. Central handles monitoring, fine tuning and system
abnormalities. Monitoring data transmitted from the field,
the equipment displays information on the display board
and annunciators. Operators can command the field
equipment to exercise LS functions if local control fails.
However, train movement does not depend on Central;
the system can operate when Central cannot communi-
cate with the field.
LS equipment on cars transmits destination data and
operating indications to equipment in station train con-
trol rooms to control routes and operate dwell signals in
stations. Should the car-carried or local LS routing func-
tions fail, Central is alarmed (and can request a route),
and station route-selection equipment changes the route
to continue operations. The train operator can also in-
itiate a route using wayside push buttons. As a f inal back-
up, local functions can be controlled from Local Manual
Control Panels located in each station.
Train-separation functions are controlled by equip-
ment in stations and on board cars. ATP can override the
LS and ATO equipment. Wayside ATP circuits, utilizing
audio frequency signalling and hardwired relay logic,
detect trains, select and transmit speed commands, and
set and check routes. ATP equipment on cars decodes
speed commands, verif ies that train speed is below com-
manded speed, and if not, commands a brake application.
ATP functions are designed to fail safe and cannot be cir-
cumvented. However, in emergencies trains can be
moved in a non-protected, low-speed mode.
ATO functions are performed in the car-carried equip-
ment. ATO circuits accelerate the train to running speed,
regulate it and stop the train at the correct location at the
station platform. lf ATO fails, the operator can operate at
full speed in an ATP-protected mode using the "cab
signal" back-up; a dual speedometer shows the actual
train speed and that commanded by the ATP track cir-
cuits. Actual speed is kept below commanded speed us-
ing a console-mounted power-braking control handle.
12

Passenger stations: Versati I ity

Atlantans are seeing some good examples of architec-
tural quality in the first 13 stations completed along the
East and West Lines. Designers have come up with dramat-
ic structural concepts and finished them in a variety of tex-
tures and colors.
In many locations the MARTA station is the hand-
somest structure in the neighborhood.
The general engineering consultant was responsible
for the conceptual design of stations. This preliminary
work included locating the station in the most strategic
spot, determining the potential patronage and plotting the
anticipated traffic flow through the facility, developing the
f unctional arrangement of all levels, estimating the number
of ticketing machines and gates needed, and planning the
station site for interface with other transportation modes.
The 28 individual architect-engineer teams retained by
Omnl Station at dusk.

Train level, Omni Station.

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PB/T developed actual plans for the structure, including
their own structural concept, design of electrical-mechan-
ical systems, lighting, architectural style, choice of ex-
terior and interior materials, color treatments and graphics.
Two of the most dramatic stations now under construc-
tion are Five Points and Civic Center. Five Points is a
massive facility, described on Page 14. The rail line
through Civic Center Station comes from underground to
cross a six-lane interstate highway and goes immediately
back into subway. The span incorporates some unique
structural engineering.
Each MARTA station was planned to fit into the sur-
rounding environment and zoning is being implemented to
produce new development around many of the stations. The
federal Urban Mass Transportation Administration has
given a large sum for the long-range plans of that nature. Entrance to Decatur Station.

Patrons getting acquainted with fare gates.

Train coming into MARTA's colorful Decatur Station.

Right: The vastness of the Omni Station concourse

level is apparent between the rush-hour crowds.
14

Five Points Station: Hub of the system

The hub of the MARTA System is Five Points
Station, a mammoth structure covering 3t/z acres
in the center of Atlanta. Most of the station will
be underground (three levels) with a street-level
plaza. The East-West Line crosses over the
North-South Line here, on the second and third
subsurface levels.
Nearly 300,000 patrons will move through the
terminal each day when the MARTA System is
completed. Five Points' distinguishing architec-
tural feature is a massive roof structure. lt incor-
porates nine longitudinal beams 262 teet long
and 11 transverse beams 167 feet long. In cross
section, the beams measure 10 feet 8 inches
hydraulic jacks, converting the segments into a
concrete beam.
The roof structure utilizes approximately
2,000 precast units and weighs almost 8,000
tons. The precast segments weigh up to 23 tons
each.
Five Points Station has been 43 months
under way now. The work is being done by Slat-
tery Associates under a $41 million contract.
Trains on the East-West Line are running through
the second subway level below the street, but
the entire project will not be completed until
m id-1 981
.

deep and 2 feet 6 inches wide. Each is composed
of 13-foot precast concrete segments, post-ten-
sioned together. After the segments were
erected, heavy steel strands were threaded
through ducts formed in the segments. Then the
strands were stretched taut with powerf ul
The architect was Finch-Heery of Atlanta.
Structural engineering was accomplished by
PB/T and Parsons Brinckerhoff Quade & Doug-
las, lnc. PB/T provided construction manage-
ment services. Precasting of the beams was by
Southeast Schokbeton.

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16.3 miles of aerial structure

Of its total of 53 miles of rail lines, MARTA is put-
ting 16.3 miles on aerial structure. Elevating the rail
system in this way not only permits trains to operate
at high speeds, but also allows ground-level traffic to
flow without interruption.
Tudor Engineering Company designed the elevat-
ed structure, drawing on experience gained in the
design of similar structures for other large transit
systems.
Because the aerial structure is visually prominent,
MARTA has given high priority to esthetics. Basically
the structure consists of prestressed concrete deck
slabs carried on steel or concrete box girders, sup-
ported by rectangular reinforced concrete columns.
The designers produced a computer program which
took alignment geometry, column locations, founda-
tion conditions, and other data and produced the in-
formation needed for construction of the individual
line segments.

(r
.PRECAST
PR ECAST PRESTRESSED
CONCRETE SLAB

CAST PRESTRESSED
CONCRETE OR STEEL
BOX GIROER

CAST IN PLACE
CONCRETE PIER

Aerial line designed to follow railroad reduces right of way requirements.

Right: Cross section of typical aerial structure.

16
Walter S. Douglas: 22 years
on the MARTA project
Sitting quietly in the,audience, with
his wife beside him and basking in the
warm exuberance of the Opening Day
throng was a 68-year-old engineer who
probably knew more about rapid transit
design than anyone else in the crowd.
He could have told a lot about how
the MARTA System was first planned
and how it compares with other high-
technology systems in England,
Sweden, Germany, and Japan. He could
have predicted how it will modify,
gradually but surely, the urban structure
of the Atlanta metropolitan area.
Walter S. Douglas, former Chairman
(Continued on Page 19)
John E. Everson, former Chairman of
the Board, Parsons Brinckerholf
Quade & Douglas, Inc.
John E. Everson: 200 trips
through the Atlanta airport
John E. Everson, who succeeded
Douglas as Chairman of the Board of
Parsons Brinckerhoff Quade & Douglas,
Inc., has been his company's most fre-
quent commuter to the MARTA project.
He has hauled the two-ton briefcase he
fancies through the Atlanta airport ter-
minal 200 times, coming and going.
As Parsons Brinckerhof f 's
sentative on the Board of Consultants,
Everson has participated in or chaired
nearly 250 all-day meetings, listened to
2,000 staff reports on problems and
progress, and helped the joint venture
(Continued on Page 19)
'-W$*fi th* r*e$ tur3r. fugtAffiTA
Finding a single person who deserves the most credit for carry-
ing the MARTA project to the successful completion of its first
two lines is an impossible exercise, frustrated by the parade of
names and faces that come to mind.
Alan Kiepper will go down in the history books as the man who
made it happen. And MARTA's veteran general manager is virtually
surrounded by a succession of Board members who made the
right decisions at the right times, by civic leaders and local
businessmen who supported the project for years, by men in the
State Legislature and in Washington, D.C., who came forward with
support and federal aid when needed.
"All of the above-mentioned" are responsible for the MARTA
System as a social, political, and economic creation of signifi-
cance far beyond considerations of steel and concrete. However,
we would like to commend the host of engineers whose coming to
work early and leaving late, whose exercise of professional talent,
and whose successful solution of tremendously complex prob-
Henry L. Michel, President, Parsons Louis W. Riggs, President,
Brinckerhoff Quade & Douglas, Inc. Tudor Engineering Company
repre-
Winfield O. Salter, Senior Vice Stanley H. Froid, Senior Vice
President, Parsons Brinckerhoff President, Tudor Engineering
Quade & Douglas, Inc. Company

please $tep forwffitrd"
lems has kept the project on schedule and within cost
estimates, and has much to do with the happy
fact that the trains run on time.
In terms of mileage, the MARTA System is only 24%
complete. For another 41 miles and 28 passenger sta-
tions, another f ive years of high-technology engineering,
I
another 250 weeks of problems now unforeseeable, and
another $1 billion of construction, the MARTA project
will be in the hands of-the "technicians."
We hope that these men and women, whose con-
tinued dedication we still need, will see between the
lines of this 20-page report some of what they have con-
tributed to the newest and best of America's rapid-
transit systems.
Lammie, Project Director
-James L. Parsons Brinckerhof f /Tudor
General Engineering Consultants
Top engineers on the MARTA project: James L. Lammie (left),
Projecl Director for Parsons Brinckerhoffffudor. L. Dennis
Ballou (right), MARTA's Assistant General Manager for Transit
System Development.
17
The proiect management team
Building a transit system takes more than design
technology. When completed, the MARTA System
will have cost more than $3 billion over a 17-year
period. The men who run that kind of a project have
to know a good deal about money management, time
management, and people management.
This is a responsibility which MARTA's engineer-
ing staff and the general engineering consultant
share.
Under the direction of the Assistant General
Manager for Transit System Development, MARTA's
staff of 120 engineers helps the agency reach sound
top-level policy decisions, keeps a handle on f inanc-
ing needs, sets the deadlines, and administers the
contracts.
This staff is deeply involved in steering the proj-
ect through numerous local government jurisdic-
tions, strengthening communications with the com-
munities along the rail lines, and maintaining rela-
tionships with the state legislature and the federal
Urban Mass Transportation Administration.
The general engineering consultant's responsi-
bilities are in the day-to-day management of the
design and construction programs. MARTA expects
PB/T to maintain a highly f lexible organization, modi-
fying it to respond to the varying needs of the project
as it moves through conceptual planning, design,
and construction.
By such means, MARTA enjoys the best of two
worlds-the flexibility of a private engineering
organization and the continuity of a government
agency.
Cost of Delays-
$12.8 million a month
The pressure on engineering management to
complete a large project is tremendous. Every day of
delay costs the agency thousands of dollars in in-
flated cost. Engineers have estimated that, in MAR-
TA's case, a delay of a month in the opening of the
North and South Lines would mean an added infla-
tion cost of $12.8 million.
Keeping the job on schedule, working around un-
foreseen problems, solving dilemmas as they occur,
is one of the most important tasks facing the project
managers.
 18

The 4:01 f light

to Atlanta:
The MARTA System is the f irst transit system to
be built in the Southeastern United States. A stream
of transportation planners and engineers flows into
Atlanta these days, to supply expertise where needed
and to carry the highly technical project over the
rough spots.
MARTA leans on PB/T, its general engineering
consultant, to tap this expertise and keep the project
moving along on time. The general engineering con-
sultant has brought in 28 teams (representing 85 in-
dividual architectural and engineering f irms) for
design of lines and stations, and has thus far retained

Parsons Brinckerhoff Quade &

Douglas: New York City
The prestige which Parsons Brinckerhoff Quade
& Douglas, Inc., enjoys in transit engineering was
', I
" demonstrated last year when New York City cele-
h
CENTRAL CONTROL brated the 75th anniversary of the opening of its
FACILITY first subway line.
Henry Michel, Presrdent and Chief Operating
Of f icer of Parsons Brinckerhof f . sat on the plat-
form with the nrayor of the largest city in the world
and the governor of the State of New York. Both
of those dignitaries praised the f irm for its role in
creating the first major transit line in United States
history: and at an appropriate place in the ceremo-
Federal aid f or mass transit is f inancing most of nies,they presented Michel with a plaque commem-
the MARTA System. This is part of the national orating the 1904 subway inauguration.
effort to reduce gasoline consumption.
The New York City subway was engineered by
General William Barclay Parsons, the founder of
Parsons Brinckerhoff . Since then the company has
Georgia State Capitol provides appropriate designed more than 2,000 bridges. over 4,000 miles
background for MARTA train. of highways, and hundreds of massive public works
projects here and abroad. Last year, the firm com-
pleted site designs f or the f ederal government's
$2 billion program for storing petroleum in vast
# underground caverns.
The MARTA job is one of Parsons Brinckerhoff's
ffi
r*.:
most challenging assignments in recent years. But
:i overcoming challenge comes naturally to the firm's
i, corps of designers and construction managers. Sev-
enty-five years from now, there will probably be a
Parsons Brinckerhoff president in Atlanta to hear a
;u
mayor and a state governor say kind things about
the engineering profession. Between now and then,
the company will probably design or help design
another 10 transit systems in another 10 cities.

Engineering in Depth
more than 100 other firms or individual consultants
for specialized engineering tasks such as surveying
and mapping, soils exploration, tunneling studies,
and acoustic studies.
However, MARTA's major resource for project
design and construction management is the two
companies serving in joint venture as the agency's
general engineering consultant. Together, these two
organizations, with corporate headquarters in New
York City and San Francisco, provide design and
management capabilities developed over a long
period of time and a number of large projects.
Tudor Engineering
Company: San Francisco
Tudor Engineering Company has brought to the
MARTA System 22 years of experience on other
large transit projects. The compdny, in joint venture
with the Bechtel Corporation and Parsons Brincker-
hoff Quade & Douglas, Inc., helped to manage de-
sign and construction of the San Francisco BART
System, to launch the Caracas, Venezuela, Metro
System and to design elements of the Sao Paulo
System.
The company is well known for its transporta-
tion studies and its design of dams, tunnels, hydro-
electric works, bridges, and highways.
Tudor has designed the aerial line structure for
three of the new transit systems in the U.S.-the
San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit System, the
MARTA System, and the Metropolitan Dade County
Rapid Transit System. The federal Water and Power
Resources Service recently picked Tudor to inventory
all of the potential sites in 17 western states where
small-scale hydroelectric plants might be con-
structed.
For many of these projects, Tudor has won state
and national awards.
The company was established by Ralph A.Tudor,
the California state engineer who designed the six-
mile San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. The presi-
dent of the firm for the last 17 years, Louis W. Riggs,
has represented Tudor Engineering on all of its trans-
it project control boards. Riggs is vice president of
the American Consulting Engineers Council. That
national organization represents 3,700 private engi-
neering firms, covering the whole spectrum of en-
gineering disciplines.
19
marta
at work
East Line Construction Underway
t-P
A symbol of progress on 30 diflerent locations.
Douglas (Continued)
of the Board of Parsons Brinckerhoff Quade & Doug-
las, nc., headed the first study, in 1957, which devel-
f
oped the concept of the MARTA System. He was in-
volved in the project tor 22 years.
A succession of other engineers drifted up to
Douglas to shake hands and say something com-
plimentary about another big job done well. Many had
worked on transit projects in South America, air f ields
in the Far East, bridges in Europe, and tunnels in
Canada. They had come to Atlanta to ramrod a chunk
of the MARTA construction. Some had been here for
10 years and some would complete their professional
careers on this project. They had come downtown to
ride the trains, along with everybody else, on Opening
Day.
On the platform, some of the politicians who had
stuck their necks out for MARTA when it wasn't a sure
thing and had maneuvered it through some rough
waters, sat through the ceremony with uncertain
smiles on their faces. They hoped that the lights that
blink and the wheels that turn would somehow all do
what they were supposed to do.
Walter Douglas, sitting quietly in the audience,
was as relaxed as a Cheshire cat at the fireplace.
He knew it would work.
Everson (Continued)
and the Authority reach probably 20,000 decisions
affecting the quality or cost of the project.
When he was not involved in a top engineering
management problem for MARTA, Everson was log-
ging nearly a million miles of travel between his off ice
and other Parsons Brinckerhoff assignments in the
U.S., South America, and the Far East. But the MARTA
project has been a part of Everson's professional life
for many years. He represents the large corps of
engineers and project managers whose names have
never been in the newspapers but whose good judg-
ment keeps the project on line and grade.