MARTA releases numbers of how many fans swarmed the rail service for big concerts over the weekend
Channel 2 Action News received videos that show scores of Janet Jackson and Taylor Swift fans standing shoulder to shoulder as they waited after the concerts this weekend for MARTA trains.
Channel 2′s Audrey Washington was at the Georgia World Congress Center MARTA station in downtown Atlanta.
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According to MARTA, thousands of people used the rail service just this weekend alone.
For some getting to the Janet Jackson and the Taylor Swift concerts wasn’t so bad, but getting back that was a different story.
Taylor Swift super fan Olivia McGuirt recorded a cellphone video of the huge crowds at the five points MARTA platform on Saturday. A TikTok video shows fans pouring into a train car.
“It was insane to see,” McGuirt said.
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According to MARTA, in all, they had 140,000 riders this past weekend.
Frequent rider Brandon Holmes saw a video of the crowds online and decided to stay home.
“Nah. Let me not go out for the next few days so I don’t have to be in that crowd,” Holmes said.
In August, Beyonce’s Renaissance tour will stop at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium for three nights.
MARTA officials said they’re ready for an even larger ridership.
“Atlanta can successfully host events such as this weekend’s concerts because of MARTA and the convenience of public transit service directly to the venues,” said a spokesperson for MARTA.
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