April 18. There are two more community meetings—one tonight at the North County Library and the last one Saturday at the Sugar Creek Library in Charlotte—where members of the Red Line project team will gather input on a transit line from Charlotte to Lake Norman.
Proponents say a north-south rapid-transit corridor supports “traffic reduction along I-77 while driving economic development through the creation of transit-oriented hubs and their surrounding communities from Charlotte to Mooresville.”
Red Line with 10 stops
The train would run on existing tracks owned by Norfolk Southern, a freight company. Charlotte Area Transit System says Norfolk Southern is are open to discussions about how to use the tracks for commuters.
Tentative plans call for as many as 10 stations on what’s known as the O Line.
Background
The much-touted rail project went off-track in 2013 when Norfolk Southern refused to allow anyone to use their tracks.
Now CATS and Charlotte city leaders say Norfolk Southern is willing to come to the table.
Where is the money?
Officials have raised the possibility of a half-cent to a penny sales tax increase to fund the Red Line, not popular with North Meck residents who have seen scarce benefits around prior transportation taxes.
CATS would need a local funding source to land federal grants, however.
The NC legislature would have to agree to put a referendum on the ballot.
Details
—The full train ride would be 45 minutes.
—A train would arrive every 30 to 60 minutes.
—There are 10 planned stations, possibly more.
Meetings
• Thursday, April 18, 6 to 8 pm
North County Regional Library
16500 Holly Crest Lane, Huntersville
• Saturday, April 20, 10 am to noon
Sugar Creek Library
4045 N. Tryon St., Charlotte
“ Proponents say a north-south rapid-transit corridor supports “traffic reduction along I-77…” and yet CATS has failed to produce any ridership estimates at all so this is pure speculation. You guys really will just print whatever the mayor tells you to.
Posted by Eric Rowell | April 18, 2024, 12:17 pmSeems like a waste of time and money to me – an idea that might be appealing in concept but one that is not beneficial in reality. Have to agree with Eric on the ridership question – are there enough people who want to go to and from Uptown on a regular basis that would make the cost to plan, build and operate the Red Line worth it?
Posted by Stevie | April 18, 2024, 4:14 pmSecuring this easement from Norfolk Southern is an important milestone for the region. This corridor will provide North Mecklenburg with an alternative mode of transportation to the city center and hopefully the Charlotte Airport, however the mode of transit may not ultimately be commuter rail. Modern transit should provide an alternative to driving with is faster. For example, if the red line could transport people from the Lowes campus in Mount Mourne to the Charlotte Airport in less than 30 minutes no matter what the weather or traffic situation, we would have mobility solution that increase the productivity of the the entire region, reduce traffic, emissions and frustration. Keeping an open mind about modern transit solutions with an eye to the future is important at this stage
Posted by Joel Olsen | April 18, 2024, 6:21 pmJoel Olson – has the positively correct position on the future of the area (Uptown to Mooresville) utilizing the “O-Line” as a growth opportunity for the stops along the Lynx Red Line and the overall approach of properly including North Mecklenburg in any plans for the City and County. Period.
Posted by Kevin Budd | April 19, 2024, 10:39 am