The Gold Line extension to the east would be a tremendous waste of public money, and has little support in the community. The existing Central Avenue bus line runs faster. Reallocate those funds to the Silver Line. Designing the Airport Station a mile from the terminal is very short sighted, and if it requires transfer to a bus, no one is going to ride it. Imagine trying to navigate that with small kids or an elderly person, plus luggage.
The Silver Line to Matthews/Stallings is a no-brainer. If DOT is going to continue to postpone improvements to the Independence Blvd corridor then the light rail becomes the primary commuter option. Remote work aside, there are still thousands of people who commute to uptown regularly. This would also allow for another somewhat reliable option on event days at the stadium or arena.
Pineville didn’t want the light rail originally because they anticipated what eventually happened to Carolina Pavilion. Even if Carolina Place gets redeveloped for mixed use housing/retail, having a large park and ride lot there will turn that area into an extension of South Blvd, with all the down sides that go along with it.
Extend the Blue Line but let it stop at a commuter lot near Carowinds, with a future extension to Rock Hill.
Also, build in the ability to run express trains from the current end points to uptown. Make riding the train actually faster than sitting in traffic.
The silver line needs to terminate at the CLT airport. Money spent on a line that terminates 1 mile away is wasted as I see in other comments. Voted #2.
I have been attending Silver Line meetings for twenty years now, and this current plan looks like such a reversion to the old: there is no apparent problem that this airport to Ovens construction looks poised to solve, unless the goal is to create an apartment/condo boom around the BoPlex, where the current road infrastructure is singularly poor, as anyone can say who has tried to get in or out of there for any major event. The commuters who seem (from the data shared in those meetings) most likely to become riders are the ones whose commutes are currently made miserable by the triple light sequence between Margaret Wallace and Village Lake and the old, four lane bridge at McAlpine Creek on Independence. Getting the Silver Line south of North Sardis would bring real ridership numbers, as opposed to the Gold Line, whose regular passengers could have each been given a Tesla for less public money.
Blue line all the way to Ballantyne would connect rail to 4.5 million square feet of office space, connecting workers in uptown and south end to this office space. It makes no sense to stop the blue line at a dying mall in Pineville, unless you consider that the Pineville mall is just a large parking lot for commuters.
Any proposal that does not take the Silver line directly to the airport is a waste of money. Look at Chicago, DC, and other cities that did this right. Lets not model this after NYC which has no rail to airports.
I voted for none of the above, but came close to voting for Scenario 1, as I like that commuters on the east side can get to the airport faster. Agree with comments regarding the Gold Line taking away funding for additional Silver Line resources. More of a protest vote on the four scenarios. Cheers!
I'm a subscriber to the Ledger, but it would not take my vote for # 2. Rail to airport from uptown is vital. Building redline is finally fulfilling the initial promises that secured any light rail in Charlotte (~2000); the Gold line has already been constructed, thereby fulfilling much of the promises to inner city communities, but it should be finished up on the West Side. Sadly, somebody did not think through how impossible it is to operate a street car with many stops not timed to streetlights in the midst of car traffic: no wonder it fails in the ridership metric. Be sure to offer easy, accessible transfers between the new Amtrak, bus station near W. Trade and the rail to the airport; the transfer point between silver & blue lines also is a priority.
Gold Line should not be a priority (it has never been popular and never will). The red line should not be a priority either (ridership will be too low, as estimates indicated over 10 years ago). The biggest needs as for the Silver Line as far as possible to the airport (not just near it....) and then beyond, and as far as possible towards Mathews. Also, extending the BlueLine to Pineville should be high on the priority (get a partnership (PPP) with the Ballantyne developers to build all the way from Pineville to Ballantyne). All these would be good and wise policy choices and will deliver accessibility to citizens of the Charlotte region.
We need to invest more money on rail travel. The current bus system is under-utilized, and I do not think any of the recommended changes will increase riders. It would be a game changer to have lines that stretch from Matthews through Uptown and to the airport as well as out to Ballantyne. If we are able to connect those areas ridership will grow exponentially.
I agree with others who have said we need to have rail to the airport.
CATS/City of Charlotte are withholding information again. There were no rideship estimates, though those could be skewed by city staff anyway. They continue to contend there will be some type of direct connect from Wilkinson Blvd to the airport, though the airport disagrees. I presume their recommendations are driven by expected development, since that is what seems to drive most everything the city recommends.
Absolutely insane that Cagle thinks that $845 million to extend the Gold Line is "chump change." The Gold Line has been a train wreck from the beginning, including the Hawthorne bridge, improperly sized rails, and the congestion it causes by stopping at lights and blocking traffic.
I recommend getting a professional international consulting company, like Rebel, to come and decide the most optimal plan. They have experience with many international and US city transit plans. The city bows to pressure from local interest groups. Train to airport is a must directly attaching to the airport. Look at train to Dulles airport in DC that did not attach to the airport and the debacle that caused. In contrast, the train to Regan national goes directly to the station and operates smoothly. Train to Carolina place mall is a mistake, as is to eastland mall site. Again the city planners “hope” to encourage growth where they want it. Train from uptown to Matthews is a must, as is transit to Ballantine. Bus ridership is almost non existent. How about using large vans instead of the old large buses to increase speed and be cost effective? Too much politicking in charlotte over transit!! Let’s develop an efficient, practical, forward thinking transportation policy!
About buses, they desperately need a huge infusion of cash and TLC. Lots can already be done by increasing the reliability, conform, shelters along the routes. Implement technology using cards and stop using cash which slows the boarding so much. The network needs to be optimize to feed into Lynx station. The EMR plan was a good start, but so much more needs to be done to leverage the Lynx investment better.
Oh, and as starter, clear the CTC once in a while! It's an eyesore.
Really difficult to pick a plan (I voted #1) when there is little information regarding levels of service for rail or potential bus network overhauls. Running more busses on our current network, which is convoluted in design at best, will do nothing to support this growing city. Additionally, no option without extending the Gold Line but no commitment to improving operations in Uptown (signal priority, more dedicated ROW) is troubling.
Overall I am optimistic, but once again I feel that CATS is bringing us a half baked idea that does not provide enough commitment for real improvements.
Under any of the four scenarios, there will need to be some serious education of Charlotteans about what Bus Rapid Transit is. (Hint, hint, Ledger). Most people here have never been to a city with BRT or ridden a BRT system. Without this context, it will skew the perceptions unnecessarily. While I favor rail, BRT really can be a very close second and has many advantages. But if people don't understand what it is, they're just going to say "No" out of hand.
Great article and insight. No need to spend more money on Bussing for the many good reasons stated in the article (CATS busses are mostly empty today). No need to spend more money on the Gold Line for the many good reasons stated in the article (transits system poorest performing product in terms of ridership, reliability and cost effectiveness). Spending billions on a Silver line between the city and the airport is crazy. Who is going to lug their luggage from their hotel to the downtown light rail station, ride light rail to a light rail station not at the airport terminal and lug their luggage to another mode of transportation to get into the airport terminal when one can get an Uber or taxis from their downtown hotel to the airport terminal (much more convenient and faster). What makes the most sense is to stay with the current east-west light rail line between Pineville and UNCC and build out a north-south Red line/Silver line combo between Davidson and Mathews. This would be the base for the future and doable with a 1% additional sales tax. Let's hope our city planner can see the big picture and local entities not fall on their swords to get money for their own neighborhoods (money grab).
The Gold Line extension to the east would be a tremendous waste of public money, and has little support in the community. The existing Central Avenue bus line runs faster. Reallocate those funds to the Silver Line. Designing the Airport Station a mile from the terminal is very short sighted, and if it requires transfer to a bus, no one is going to ride it. Imagine trying to navigate that with small kids or an elderly person, plus luggage.
The Silver Line to Matthews/Stallings is a no-brainer. If DOT is going to continue to postpone improvements to the Independence Blvd corridor then the light rail becomes the primary commuter option. Remote work aside, there are still thousands of people who commute to uptown regularly. This would also allow for another somewhat reliable option on event days at the stadium or arena.
Pineville didn’t want the light rail originally because they anticipated what eventually happened to Carolina Pavilion. Even if Carolina Place gets redeveloped for mixed use housing/retail, having a large park and ride lot there will turn that area into an extension of South Blvd, with all the down sides that go along with it.
Extend the Blue Line but let it stop at a commuter lot near Carowinds, with a future extension to Rock Hill.
Also, build in the ability to run express trains from the current end points to uptown. Make riding the train actually faster than sitting in traffic.
The silver line needs to terminate at the CLT airport. Money spent on a line that terminates 1 mile away is wasted as I see in other comments. Voted #2.
I have been attending Silver Line meetings for twenty years now, and this current plan looks like such a reversion to the old: there is no apparent problem that this airport to Ovens construction looks poised to solve, unless the goal is to create an apartment/condo boom around the BoPlex, where the current road infrastructure is singularly poor, as anyone can say who has tried to get in or out of there for any major event. The commuters who seem (from the data shared in those meetings) most likely to become riders are the ones whose commutes are currently made miserable by the triple light sequence between Margaret Wallace and Village Lake and the old, four lane bridge at McAlpine Creek on Independence. Getting the Silver Line south of North Sardis would bring real ridership numbers, as opposed to the Gold Line, whose regular passengers could have each been given a Tesla for less public money.
Blue line all the way to Ballantyne would connect rail to 4.5 million square feet of office space, connecting workers in uptown and south end to this office space. It makes no sense to stop the blue line at a dying mall in Pineville, unless you consider that the Pineville mall is just a large parking lot for commuters.
Any proposal that does not take the Silver line directly to the airport is a waste of money. Look at Chicago, DC, and other cities that did this right. Lets not model this after NYC which has no rail to airports.
I voted for none of the above, but came close to voting for Scenario 1, as I like that commuters on the east side can get to the airport faster. Agree with comments regarding the Gold Line taking away funding for additional Silver Line resources. More of a protest vote on the four scenarios. Cheers!
I'm a subscriber to the Ledger, but it would not take my vote for # 2. Rail to airport from uptown is vital. Building redline is finally fulfilling the initial promises that secured any light rail in Charlotte (~2000); the Gold line has already been constructed, thereby fulfilling much of the promises to inner city communities, but it should be finished up on the West Side. Sadly, somebody did not think through how impossible it is to operate a street car with many stops not timed to streetlights in the midst of car traffic: no wonder it fails in the ridership metric. Be sure to offer easy, accessible transfers between the new Amtrak, bus station near W. Trade and the rail to the airport; the transfer point between silver & blue lines also is a priority.
sorry about that - not sure why that would not work. (We are not rigging the vote, I promise!)
Gold Line should not be a priority (it has never been popular and never will). The red line should not be a priority either (ridership will be too low, as estimates indicated over 10 years ago). The biggest needs as for the Silver Line as far as possible to the airport (not just near it....) and then beyond, and as far as possible towards Mathews. Also, extending the BlueLine to Pineville should be high on the priority (get a partnership (PPP) with the Ballantyne developers to build all the way from Pineville to Ballantyne). All these would be good and wise policy choices and will deliver accessibility to citizens of the Charlotte region.
We need to invest more money on rail travel. The current bus system is under-utilized, and I do not think any of the recommended changes will increase riders. It would be a game changer to have lines that stretch from Matthews through Uptown and to the airport as well as out to Ballantyne. If we are able to connect those areas ridership will grow exponentially.
I agree with others who have said we need to have rail to the airport.
CATS/City of Charlotte are withholding information again. There were no rideship estimates, though those could be skewed by city staff anyway. They continue to contend there will be some type of direct connect from Wilkinson Blvd to the airport, though the airport disagrees. I presume their recommendations are driven by expected development, since that is what seems to drive most everything the city recommends.
Absolutely insane that Cagle thinks that $845 million to extend the Gold Line is "chump change." The Gold Line has been a train wreck from the beginning, including the Hawthorne bridge, improperly sized rails, and the congestion it causes by stopping at lights and blocking traffic.
I recommend getting a professional international consulting company, like Rebel, to come and decide the most optimal plan. They have experience with many international and US city transit plans. The city bows to pressure from local interest groups. Train to airport is a must directly attaching to the airport. Look at train to Dulles airport in DC that did not attach to the airport and the debacle that caused. In contrast, the train to Regan national goes directly to the station and operates smoothly. Train to Carolina place mall is a mistake, as is to eastland mall site. Again the city planners “hope” to encourage growth where they want it. Train from uptown to Matthews is a must, as is transit to Ballantine. Bus ridership is almost non existent. How about using large vans instead of the old large buses to increase speed and be cost effective? Too much politicking in charlotte over transit!! Let’s develop an efficient, practical, forward thinking transportation policy!
About buses, they desperately need a huge infusion of cash and TLC. Lots can already be done by increasing the reliability, conform, shelters along the routes. Implement technology using cards and stop using cash which slows the boarding so much. The network needs to be optimize to feed into Lynx station. The EMR plan was a good start, but so much more needs to be done to leverage the Lynx investment better.
Oh, and as starter, clear the CTC once in a while! It's an eyesore.
Really difficult to pick a plan (I voted #1) when there is little information regarding levels of service for rail or potential bus network overhauls. Running more busses on our current network, which is convoluted in design at best, will do nothing to support this growing city. Additionally, no option without extending the Gold Line but no commitment to improving operations in Uptown (signal priority, more dedicated ROW) is troubling.
Overall I am optimistic, but once again I feel that CATS is bringing us a half baked idea that does not provide enough commitment for real improvements.
Thanks for the great coverage.
Under any of the four scenarios, there will need to be some serious education of Charlotteans about what Bus Rapid Transit is. (Hint, hint, Ledger). Most people here have never been to a city with BRT or ridden a BRT system. Without this context, it will skew the perceptions unnecessarily. While I favor rail, BRT really can be a very close second and has many advantages. But if people don't understand what it is, they're just going to say "No" out of hand.
Great article and insight. No need to spend more money on Bussing for the many good reasons stated in the article (CATS busses are mostly empty today). No need to spend more money on the Gold Line for the many good reasons stated in the article (transits system poorest performing product in terms of ridership, reliability and cost effectiveness). Spending billions on a Silver line between the city and the airport is crazy. Who is going to lug their luggage from their hotel to the downtown light rail station, ride light rail to a light rail station not at the airport terminal and lug their luggage to another mode of transportation to get into the airport terminal when one can get an Uber or taxis from their downtown hotel to the airport terminal (much more convenient and faster). What makes the most sense is to stay with the current east-west light rail line between Pineville and UNCC and build out a north-south Red line/Silver line combo between Davidson and Mathews. This would be the base for the future and doable with a 1% additional sales tax. Let's hope our city planner can see the big picture and local entities not fall on their swords to get money for their own neighborhoods (money grab).