MARTA hopes local sports fans will take transit downtown this weekend to catch all the great Atlanta Falcons action as they take on the San Francisco 49ers, Sunday, Jan. 20 in their last stop on the way to the Super Bowl. 

Direct service to the Georgia Dome is available via MARTA and the local transit system will have extra trains running to get customers quickly to and from the game. Additional staff and police will be on hand to assist customers. In support of the hometown team, MARTA will be running a "Go Falcons" message on its buses and trains.  

For $2.50 one-way (plus a $1 charge for a permanent Breeze card), MARTA offers the most affordable and convenient way to travel to the game. Customers are encouraged to purchase round-trip fare at the start of their trip to avoid long lines on the return.

Whether you catch a bus in Alpharetta, or drive directly to North Springs Station to get on the train, there's ample free parking, especially if you carpool to the park-and-ride at North Point Parkway near Windward, or the lot on Mansell Road. MARTA's own trip planner estimates the time from the Windward Park-and-Ride lot to the Georgia Dome is 73 minutes. But from North Springs Station to the Dome is 31 minutes – plus the time it takes to drive to the MARTA station.

Editor's Note: While the address listed for the station is on Peachtree Dunwoody Road NE, actual access for the rail line is a dedicated southbound exit ramp right off GA 400 – which many of you drive by each day to work. And click that "View Larger Map" to actually see where you are going.

Leave for the Georgia Dome early, as heavy crowd will be using MARTA. But with extra trains running just for the game, we can hope it won't be that bad.

The temperature when you leave for the game will be just about the same as when you head out of the Dome on your way home. It will be in the mid to high 40s. At kickoff, it will be in the mid-50s – but you'll be inside a dome, so that's not quite so important. Sunny on your way in, it will dark on your way out, except for all of those street lights in the area.

Parking for less than 24 hours is free at all of MARTA’s daily parking facilities. Customers parking in the decks at Lindbergh Center Station must park in MARTA designated areas and validate their parking tickets at machines inside Lindbergh Station in order to receive free daily parking. Please note that MARTA has some designated lots which charge a fee including lots at Lenox, Brookhaven, Kensington, and College Park Stations.   

For more information on MARTA's service, visit www.itsmarta.com or call the Customer Service Center at 404-848-5000.