ATLANTA — MARTA has suspended Atlanta Streetcar service beginning Monday to accommodate urgent underground utility repairs by Georgia Power.

The suspension is expected to last three to four months. In the meantime, shuttle vans wrapped to resemble the streetcar will provide service along the route.

“For repair to the underground line, Georgia Power will need to excavate a pit of approximately 12 feet by 8 feet in size, approximately 30 feet deep, after which they will horizontally bore until they can reach the transmission line that can conduct repairs,” said MARTA spokesperson Daniel Hecht.

Hecht added that for safety reasons, the streetcars cannot operate alongside open construction areas.

“Due to the size and depth of the access area near our trackway and the weight of the streetcar, Georgia Power has determined that we cannot safely run the streetcar adjacent to their construction site, nor would we want to due to soil instability,” he said.

This marks the second extended shutdown of the service in the past five years. A four-month pause in 2022 was tied to a wheel safety issue.

MARTA says it will use the downtime to perform additional work, including track maintenance, vehicle upgrades, and catenary inspections and repairs.

WSB’s Bill Caiaccio contributed to this story