Hey, Atlanteans, the CQ400 is coming! Actually, a total of 56 of the CQ400 railcar sets will hit the metro tracks within the next few years, but the first one will be open for service later this year. It’s currently going through a testing phase before it’s introduced to the public.
The primary goal is to reduce Atlanta’s notorious traffic congestion as more harried drivers become avid riders. There might also be a valuable side benefit: Your auto insurance rates could go down.
Think of this bonus round as the MARTA effect on car insurance. Here’s how we just might get there.
Upgrading Atlanta’s Transit Network: The Arrival of MARTA’s New Railcars
The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) sent out and got back thousands of surveys from public transportation riders to find out what they wanted most from a transit system. Perhaps unsurprisingly, safety, comfort, and reliability were among the most popular responses.
MARTA answered the call with the state-of-the-art CQ400 railcar. The first train set will go into service later in 2025, with dozens more sets to follow gradually over the next four years.
The CQ400 was designed and built by a Swedish company called Stadler Rail at a total cost of $646 million for 56 four-car train sets. The goal was to respond to the wishes of the public with more comfortable seating and LED lighting. The interiors are roomier for strollers, bikes, wheelchairs, and luggage, and easier foot traffic between cars. You’ll find on-board charging stations for your phones and other electronic devices. Digital signage will display trip information conveniently and in real-time.
In terms of safety, there will be microphones throughout that can pick up the sounds of commotions. The overall look and feel of the railcars will be sleek, modern, and inviting.
The Impact on City Driving and Commute Traffic Patterns
Atlanta has the dubious distinction of being America’s eighth-most traffic-congested city. That problem will only get worse over time, as A-Town is also a very popular place to call home. It’s forecast that the metro population here will balloon from about six million today to around eight million by 2050.
Sure, that’s a problem because it makes you spend an intolerable amount of time idling in stalled traffic. But it’s expensive, too, in terms of what you pay for auto insurance. That’s because bumper-to-bumper traffic inevitably leads to an increase in accidents.
But what if fewer drivers drove, and more of them became relaxed Atlanta transit passengers?
The Potential Effects on Auto Insurance Rates
Atlanta traffic patterns, specifically city congestion, might mean slow-motion collisions that rarely cause serious injury, but they do result in damaged vehicles. And guess who pays for crumpled fenders and shattered glass? All too often, it’s the insurance companies through your premiums.
Insurers turn a profit by carefully calculating risk. The lower the risk of an action that will result in a claim that the insurer will have to pay, the less the policyholder will pay for that coverage. That’s because insurance companies’ most popular policyholders are those that cost them less in payout.
Your car insurance premiums are set based on multiple factors measuring risk. This includes your driving record (points on your license), claims history, the make and model of your vehicle, and even the location where you live and drive.
This last factor takes into consideration that more accidents, higher vehicle theft rates, acts of vandalism, or other damage triggers occur in some locations more often than in others. If you live and work in a large and densely populated metro with a lot of traffic — take Atlanta, for instance — underwriters calculate that your odds of being in a collision are higher than if your life takes place in a small town with very little traffic. More collisions, after all, mean more insurance claims.
But what happens if that high level of traffic decreases over time? What if congestion gives way, to some extent, because public transportation becomes more popular than it has been in the past?
Now you see what’s up MARTA’s sleeve with its hefty investment in innovative railcars and a more responsive Atlanta transit system.
If you regularly take public transportation, you might already be eagerly awaiting the introduction of the first CQ400 railcars.
And if you are an Atlanta metro motorist, you might be among the biggest winners if the MARTA effect on car insurance does what it’s supposed to do. If underwriters see a decrease in collisions and claims due to a thinning out of traffic density over time, they’ll lower rates in response to the risk reduction.
But even if you’re used to driving on your daily commute, you might consider taking a few trips by train when the CQ400 goes into service. You just might find the experience so gratifying that you keep your car sitting idle for longer. Then, you might save on fuel, wear and tear, and auto insurance.