Matthews and eastside leaders slam light rail cuts
Plans to gut the eastern portion of the Silver Line could help the larger transit plan progress — but would leave a large portion of the county without rail
The following article appeared in the May 31, 2024, edition of The Charlotte Ledger, an e-newsletter with smart and original local news for Charlotte. We offer free and paid subscription plans. More info here.
Neighborhood advocates and elected officials say they’re ‘very disappointed’ and are ‘getting the shaft’ in Silver Line cutback
NO LIGHT RAIL IN SIGHT: People waiting for the bus on Monroe Road on Thursday afternoon. The eastern segment of the Silver Line light rail was envisioned as running along this portion of Monroe Road, but its future is now in doubt.
by Tony Mecia
Leaders in Matthews and on Charlotte’s eastside are slamming the idea of eliminating plans for a light rail segment between uptown and Matthews, a move they say will cost them in terms of economic development.
Feelings ranged from betrayal and anger to disappointment on the prospect of missing out on a light rail line, which is widely seen not just as a way of moving passengers but as an economic development engine that has transformed other parts of Charlotte.
Leading the charge has been Matthews Mayor John Higdon, who at a transportation meeting on Wednesday likened Matthews’ predicament to the 1982 Jerry Reed country song “She Got the Goldmine, I Got the Shaft.” (He said Matthews “is getting the shaft.”)
“Matthews is going to lose out on hundreds of millions of dollars of revenue over decades because of this decision, and that's just not acceptable,” he said.