College Friends Break MARTA Record in Under 3 Hours

Two college sophomores just turned Atlanta's subway system into a high-speed scavenger hunt and proved public transit deserves more credit.

Andrew Zhang and Ayush Maini set out on August 14 to visit all 38 MARTA rail stations faster than anyone in history. Their goal was to beat a Chicago trio's record of 3 hours, 21 minutes, and 37 seconds set just seven months earlier.

But this wasn't just about getting their names in Guinness World Records. Maini, a transit enthusiast visiting from Massachusetts, and Zhang, a Georgia Tech student without a car, wanted to raise awareness that Atlanta has a working alternative to its notoriously bad traffic.

The friends built custom software that pulled real-time transit data to calculate the fastest possible routes. They needed to photograph every station, record timestamps, and actually stop at each location to qualify for the record.

Their attempt almost derailed at the first major transfer point. A northbound train at Airport station left 15 seconds early, and the doors closed right in their faces. That cost them 12 minutes.

The duo faced another nail-biter at Ashby station on the west side. They had one chance to make up lost time by sprinting upstairs to catch a perfectly timed connection. They made it, getting back on track for their record attempt.

Zhang and Maini crossed the finish line at Indian Creek station with a time of 3 hours, 7 minutes, and 37 seconds. That's 14 minutes faster than the previous record.

Guinness World Records will take several months to certify their achievement. The friends had to document everything meticulously, including video of the beginning and end of their journey.

The Ripple Effect

Maini has attempted similar records in New York and San Francisco, but MARTA actually performed better than BART's unreliable scheduling. That's saying something for a transit system that doesn't always get love from locals.

MARTA showed up when it mattered, just like it did during the World Cup. The agency's rail system moved two determined students across 38 stations efficiently enough to set a world record.

Zhang relies on MARTA daily at Georgia Tech and sees this achievement as proof that mass transit works in Atlanta. For car-centric commuters stuck in gridlock, that message matters.

Two friends, one subway system, and a world record that reminds us Atlanta's trains can get you where you need to go.