ATLANTA — The MARTA Board of Directors approved a resolution to change the name for one of its busiest stations.
The GWCC/CNN Center station in downtown Atlanta will soon become the Sports Entertainment and Convention, or SEC, rail station.
The signs and maps will be updated by Jan. 1, 2026, six months before Atlanta hosts games for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
“I think that this station is vital for a a big event that sets the deadline at a specific time and that’s why I thought it was important to move on this one immediately,” said Director W. Thomas Worthy, who introduced the resolution.
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A MARTA spokesperson told Channel 2 Action News that it is still working on the project’s budget and timeline for the work to begin since the board just passed the resolution on Thursday.
While no budget has been released, Worthy said he thinks MARTA will be able to raise some private funds to help cover the costs.
MARTA CEO Collie Greenwood added that the cost will differ from other projects because of the support already being established.
“This allows us to forgo a lot of the lengthy and expensive public engagement process. So we will come up with a with a a cost and we will share it with the board but it won’t be indicative of the balance of the stations,” he said.
Typically, the renaming process for a MARTA station requires input from the public.
Worthy said the Atlanta Sports Council, Metro Atlanta Chamber, Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta United, Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena all supported the name change.
MARTA board chair Jennifer Ide added that the chamber worked with the businesses in the area to come up with a name that wasn’t related to any company.
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The board acknowledged that other stations will probably need to be renamed in the near future and public sessions will be held for those changes.
“There is no doubt in my mind that there are multiple stations that need to be renamed that we need to go through a a a long and protracted community engagement process to rename those,” Worthy said.
Atlanta will host eight games in the 2026 FIFA World Cup at Mercedes-Benz Stadium: five group stage matches, a Round of 32 game, Round of 16 game and one of the semifinals.
The group stages will be on June 15, 18, 21, 24 and 27. The Round of 32 game will be July 1 followed by Round of 16 game on July 7.
The semifinal will be held on July 15.
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