The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating after a MARTA employee was hit by a train Saturday while working on the tracks.
MARTA spokeswoman Stephany Fisher said a northbound train struck the worker around 11:30 a.m., causing a non-life-threatening foot injury.
The incident happened just north of the Arts Center station and resulted in a temporary pause of rail service on the Red and Gold lines between Arts Center and the Lindbergh station. MARTA provided bus shuttles between those stations until the scene was cleared around 1 p.m., and also offered discount codes for riders to take Uber or Lyft.
It’s not clear why the employee was on the tracks as a train approached or how the incident occurred. Fisher said MARTA is not releasing any additional information while the incident is under investigation.
The NTSB routinely investigates rail and other transportation incidents, including a 2018 crash where a MARTA train struck equipment. A contractor died from injuries sustained in that collision, which the NTSB determined occurred after flagging procedures were violated. The train operator also failed to make a visual check of the tracks, according to the report.
NTSB spokeswoman Sarah Taylor Sulick said investigators arrived on the scene Sunday to begin the review. NTSB will examine the train and equipment involved, collect witness statements and review any available surveillance video to determine what happened.
Anyone who witnessed the incident is asked to contact the NTSB at witness@ntsb.gov.
A preliminary report will be available within 30 days, Sulick said. The full report, which will detail the probable cause of the crash, will be filed within one to two years.
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