June 23. Josh Farnsworth describes the Red Line as “1970s-style” technology and argues that roads will always work better for our region. The facts on the ground and the wishes of North Mecklenburg residents say otherwise.
[Mecklenburg County’s transportation bill is expected to advance to the North Carolina Senate with a final procedural vote tomorrow. The bill calls for a referendum on a 1-cent roads and transit sales tax county-wide.] 
Congestion keeps getting worse
INRIX’s 2024 Global Traffic Scorecard found that Charlotte drivers spent 41 lost hours in traffic last year, the 20th-worst delay in the entire country. clttoday.6amcity.com
Commuter rail is modern, not obsolete
Cities across the country are expanding rail in 2025 because it moves large numbers of people quickly and reliably:
- Dallas–Fort Worth will open the 26-mile Silver Line in late 2025 – early 2026, giving riders a one-seat ride between Plano and DFW Airport. cor.net
- Phoenix just launched its 5.5-mile South Central light-rail extension on June 7, 2025, adding eight stations and frequent 12-minute service. masstransitmag.com
- Chicago secured a $1.9 billion federal grant in January 2025 to extend the CTA Red Line 5.5 miles to 130th Street, with groundbreaking expected next year. chicago.gov
- Miami-Dade County advanced the 13.5-mile Northeast Corridor commuter rail into FTA’s engineering phase in October 2024. miamidade.gov
- Austin is pushing ahead with Project Connect Light Rail Phase 1 under a multibillion-dollar design-build contract that starts construction in 2027. statesman.com
None of these regions are building rail for nostalgia. They are doing it because one track can carry as many people as two or three new freeway lanes, without the crashes or weather delays that bog down traffic.
North Mecklenburg leaders want the Red Line
Far from a “boondoggle,” the Red Line is a project that Cornelius, Huntersville, and Davidson have sought for more than two decades. When House Bill 948, the P.A.V.E. Act, was introduced in April, the managers of five of six Mecklenburg towns — including Cornelius, Huntersville, and Davidson — publicly praised the bill and its commitment to finishing the Red Line. corneliustoday.com Their residents are tired of burning time and money in I-77 backups and see the rail line as a cleaner, safer, and more reliable option.
Commuter trains are not relics from the past. They are the backbone of twenty-first-century transportation systems that give people a real choice, keep our economy moving, and protect the air we breathe.
Binns
With 41 hours already lost each year and 117 more drivers arriving every day, Mecklenburg County cannot pave its way out of gridlock. The Red Line is the forward-looking solution our growing communities have been asking for.
—Shannon Binns, executive director
Sustain Charlotte
Binns’ letter is in response to a letter from Josh Farnsworth, opposing the penny sales tax for transit.
Your comments are something to be expected from Sustain Charlotte.
First, the residents of North Meck have been paying for a rail line for 25 years with nothing to see, so now we pay another 25 years to more than likely see nothing?
As far as your references, the only one that has commuter rial is Miami-Dade, all the rest are light rail.
The only number you give is Chicago at $1.9 billion for 5.5 miles. Since the red line is running approximately 20 miles, the expectation is now $6.9 billion for the Red line (your numbers), not to mention the other lines that want to be run. For $6.9 billion, the state can buy out Cintra or pay their penalties and run I-77 with 6 lanes each way from exit 30 to I-85.
Heavy rail is an 18th century technology. It is antiquated and your whole premise assumes we will ever see transportation relief in North Mecklenburg.
The residents have already paid hundreds of millions, lets not waste more money on something that will do little to solve our transportation issues
Posted by Brian Sisson | June 23, 2025, 11:00 amThis is true. The Rail is old thinking. Buy out Cintra NOW and build tunnels for much less
Posted by TC | June 23, 2025, 5:27 pmHi Brian,
You’ll be glad to know that this new law requires that the Red Line be built first, before any other rail projects.
This was included because of the fact that you mentioned: North Mecklenburg residents have been waiting on the Red Line for twenty years while paying the existing half cent sales tax for transit — due to Norfolk Southern’s refusal to share their tracks with CATS for passenger rail service after agreeing to do at the time the tax was passed. In short, they broke their promise.
Thankfully, last year, they finally changed their position on this and agreed to sell the tracks to the City of Charlotte, which fronted the $90M to purchase them to ensure the Red Line would be built.
You’ll also be glad to know that the estimate for the cost of the Red Line is nowhere near as high as the Chicago project you cited.
The most recent estimate from January of this year is that the Red Line will cost $1.38B or $52M per mile.
For obvious reasons, rail is considerably more expensive per mile than building a road, but it also moves significantly more people per mile and provides all of the other benefits of rail including no wasted time sitting in traffic, a guaranteed, reliable travel time, and significantly lower air pollution compared to driving.
As far as commuter versus light rail, commuter isn’t a dated technology, it’s used for longer distances than light rail and can travel at higher speeds than light rail, which is why it is typically used for longer routes.
Also, commuter rail is necessary in order to use the existing tracks as the tracks were built for freight, and light rail vehicles cannot use freight tracks — but commuter train vehicle can.
Here is more information about how commuter rail is different than light rail and why it makes sense for the Red Line:
Longer distances:
Commuter rail lines can span tens or even hundreds of miles, connecting distant suburbs to a central city.
Fewer stops:
Stations are spaced further apart, often several miles, allowing for higher speeds between stops.
Higher speeds:
Commuter rail trains can travel at faster speeds than light rail, due to the longer distances and fewer stops.
Larger vehicles:
Commuter rail trains are typically larger, with more seating capacity and less standing room, designed for longer journeys.
Shared infrastructure:
Commuter rail often utilizes existing rail lines also used by freight and intercity passenger trains.
Metro-North Railroad (New York/Connecticut), Metra (Chicago), and the MBTA Commuter Rail (Boston) are examples of commuter rail systems.
Posted by Shannon Binns | July 2, 2025, 6:00 amMr. Binns, How much will it ultimately cost and how many commuters will ride it daily? I’ve not heard one good answer on this, and I suspect I won’t. Taxpayers deserve thorough due diligence on this matter. Billions of dollars will potentially be committed to the Red Line if approved.
Posted by Scott Jeffords | June 23, 2025, 11:25 amIf Rail Service is in such high demand where is the proposed Public Private Partnership that made the I-77 ‘Managed Lanes’ a reality???
The five examples you use are in areas with much higher population densities than North Mecklenburg. Apples and Oranges comparison.
Even the last Administration’s Transportation Department didn’t offer federal funds for the Red Line….
Posted by Mike Russell | June 23, 2025, 11:39 amLet your local leaders understand that there are quicker solutions than this Rail especially with the time it will take (10 years min) and the cost (which we know this will be much higher than 6.9 Billion of OUR money).
Take the penalty from Cintra and take it to court. Open these lanes. Otherwise, We the tax payer will have a boondoggle on our hands due to ignorance
Posted by TC | June 23, 2025, 5:34 pmThe extension of the Chicago line you mentioned is an absolute waste and not a good example. The CTA is bankrupt and the average cost per rider will be over $100,000 annually for that extension. Does that make any sense – NO!
Posted by BW | June 24, 2025, 9:15 amAction is needed! This situation is unacceptable. We should look to overseas countries and see how efficient their transportation systems are. To reduce our reliance on cars and minimize pollution, we should consider adding light rail or train services. Although it may take time to implement, this approach will ultimately be more beneficial for the environment and more efficient in the long run.
Posted by MMW | June 26, 2025, 2:26 pm