Atlanta Trio Sets MARTA Record in Just 3 Hours 21 Minutes

Joabe Barbosa and his friends Matthew Plese and Omar Yousaf had one goal last Thursday: visit every single MARTA station faster than anyone ever has. They crushed it in 3 hours, 21 minutes, and 37 seconds, setting an official Guinness World Record.

The trio started at North Springs station at 3:04 p.m., armed with a meticulously planned route, stopwatches, cameras, and a logbook to document every stop. Guinness requires strict proof: photographs at each station, witness signatures, and continuous filming from start to finish.

For Barbosa, this wasn't his first rodeo. He already holds the record for Chicago's transit system, which he conquered last fall during an early blizzard. That adventure took nearly nine hours across 146 stations, making Atlanta's 38-station challenge seem almost relaxing by comparison.

The Atlanta route required strategic thinking. MARTA's four color-coded lines split and merge through downtown, creating a puzzle of optimal transfers. The team planned to hit the Gold Line's Lindbergh Center first, then work their way through a carefully choreographed dance of northbound, southbound, eastbound, and westbound trains.

Plese wore a phone harness to keep the logbook updated while photographing each station sign. Yousaf snapped selfies and kept spirits high. Barbosa managed the timing and navigation, adjusting on the fly when reality didn't match their spreadsheet.

And reality definitely tested them. Slow zones where track reconstruction forced trains to crawl added precious minutes. At Lindbergh Junction, they met Thomas Troxell, a former MARTA rail supervisor who watched their progress on his live train tracker and offered encouragement that kept them motivated.

Why This Inspires

What started as a quirky challenge became something bigger. Strangers on trains noticed the cameras and enthusiasm, asking questions and cheering the trio on. The team experienced unexpected kindness at every turn, transforming a race against the clock into a celebration of Atlanta's transit community.

They also discovered beauty they'd overlooked before: granite walls, murals inside stations, and the diverse faces of everyday Atlantans just trying to get where they're going. The record attempt became an accidental love letter to the city's public transportation.

"We want to set a record that's unbreakable," Plese said before starting, "but then somebody comes next week and we just don't want them to make it easy." That competitive spirit is exactly what makes the achievement sweet—they know someone will try to beat them, and that's part of the fun.

Three friends, one city, and a transit system meant to connect people proved that world records aren't just about speed—they're about the joy of the journey itself.