U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy announced Thursday that he has directed the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to launch an investigation of Atlanta’s Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA). The investigation—which will review the transit agency’s security spending, safety protocols, and risks to riders and workers—comes on the heels of two attacks in broad daylight on MARTA property in a week’s time:
- On May 30, a 66-year-old woman was fatally stabbed 20 times by a man while riding a MARTA train.
- On May 24, a 40-year-old man was stabbed multiple times following an altercation in a MARTA station.
MARTA’s rate of personal security events (assaults, robberies, rapes, etc.) for MARTA employees and riders is nearly twice the national average. This trend is particularly concerning on MARTA’s rail lines, where the rate is three-and-a-half times higher than the national average.
The FTA investigation will determine if systemic conditions exist that endanger the public or transit workforce on the Atlanta system.
FTA is providing MARTA 15 days to submit the following information:
- Crime & Fare Evasion Mitigation: Detailed action plans and historical data trends regarding crime and fare evasion enforcement.
- Security & Safety Funding: A full breakdown of Fiscal Year 2026 budgeted and Fiscal Year 2027 planned funding earmarked for passenger and worker security, compared against prior-year spending. This must include:
- Security: Expenditures and budgeted funds that meet the Federal transit program security capital projects set-aside requirement for Urbanized Area Formula Grants (49 U.S.C. § 5307(c)(1)(J)(i)).
- Safety: Expenditures and budgeted funds that meet the Federal transit program safety set-aside requirement under 49 U.S.C. § 5329(d)(4)(B).
- Non-FTA Federal Funds: All safety-directed funding received from other federal entities, including the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
As part of their investigation, FTA staff will assess:
- MARTA’s compliance with 49 CFR Part 673 (Public Transportation Agency Safety Plans program).
- The sufficiency of the agency’s response to prior FTA directives regarding transit rider and worker safety.
Concurrently, FTA will independently conduct:
- An official assessment of MARTA’s Safety Risk Reduction Program specifically targeting assaults on transit workers.
- An evaluation of the effectiveness of mitigations implemented by MARTA in response to General Directive 24-1 (Required Actions Regarding Assaults on Transit Workers), issued by FTA on September 25, 2024.
“Every American should be disturbed by the horrific crimes we have seen on MARTA in the last month. No one should be forced to fear for their safety simply because they choose to ride public transit,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy. “From our nation’s capital to Chicago, we’ve made substantial progress in holding systems accountable and enhancing security for transit workers and riders. President Trump has made it clear that American families deserve better, and that’s what we are going to deliver in Georgia too.”
