years. The plan on the 1971 referendum showed of rapid rail lines in 4 counties and of busways. Voters in DeKalb (52% support) and Fulton (51% support) counties approved the proposal, and voters in Clayton (23% support) and Gwinnett (21% support) defeated the proposal. The voters in Clayton and Gwinnett may have reacted negatively to the proposed plan which included only of the rail system would have served both counties. Additionally the method of counting votes was changed for the 1971 referendum. In 1968 voters were grouped into three groups (all of which required a majority for passing): voters in the city limits of Atlanta, voters in Fulton county outside the city limits, and voters in DeKalb outside of the city limits. In 1971 the city votes were counted in the appropriate counties (DeKalb and Fulton), allowing the mostly yes votes from the city to be tabulated against the mostly no votes from the suburban areas in the county. Initial construction In 1971 MARTA purchased the Atlanta Transit System for $12.8 million. In 1973 the state legislature established the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Overview Committee. In 1975 groundbreaking of the rail system took place. Also in 1975 the Urban Mass Transportation Administration offered $600 million to MARTA for a six-year period for rail transit construction. East-West Line construction Construction on the East Line began in 1975 and the first rail service began on June 30, 1979 between the Georgia State and Avondale stations. In June 1993, the Kensington and Indian Creek stations opened, which also marked the first time MARTA rail service went outside I-285. The West Line opened between Hightower (now Hamilton E. Holmes) and Five Points stations, on December 22, 1979. On December 12, 1992 the Proctor Creek Branch and Bankhead Station opened. The 1979 plan for the West Line also included an additional station at Fairburn Road (later shortened to Brownlee-Boulder Park) and another station was planned at the then-existing Perry Homes housing project on the Proctor Creek Line. North-South Line construction On December 4, 1981, the North-South Line opened from Garnett to North Avenue, including Civic Center and the lower level of Five Points. On September 11, 1982, the line was expanded to Arts Center, and the Peachtree Center Station (whose opening was delayed from 1981) also opened. The section between Lindbergh Center and Brookhaven opened on December 15, 1984. The line reached Chamblee in 1987,