[PRCo] Re: Charlotte Light Rail Opening

[John Swindler]

????  Tunnel under the I-485 orbital, Fred ?????

Guess you didn't visit the I-485/South Blvd station site.

(:>)

John (never been to Charlotte)



p.s.  center city Charlotte is home to both Wachovia and ?? Bank of 
America.??  There was article in  -  think it was Post Gazette  -  several 
months comparing growth in Pittsburgh vs. Charlotte.  Or rather lack of 
growth in Pittsburgh vs. growth in Charlotte.

Next phase for light rail in Charlotte will be extension northwards to Univ. 
NC at Charlotte.  Isn't there a research center nearby?  This would be 
similar to proposed "spine line" in Pittsburgh in that would connect the 
downtown area with major college north of the city.  Originally proposed as 
busway, but will now be light rail.

Also proposal for a "Portland" type streetcar on east-west axis.  Would 
connect college and stadium west side of town with hospital area on east 
side of town.

Charlotte's 9.6 mile South light rail line will be about the same cost as 
PAT's north shore connector.  Somewhere around $450 million.  A question for 
everyone on this list:  ask yourself which is a more prudent use of the 
taxpayer dollars??

And I agree, Fred.  This one might be a 'sleeper' that does well.  The 
projection is around 18,000 daily riders in a few years, or a thousand more 
then PAT's route 42S.   PAT light rail was 25,000 daily riders total in 
March 2006 on four routes.





>From: Fred Schneider <fwschneider at comcast.net>
>Reply-To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
>To: Pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org, Peter Folger <transitman at gwi.net>
>Subject: [PRCo] Charlotte Light Rail Opening
>Date: Mon, 12 Mar 2007 19:44:28 -0400
>
>I paid a brief visit to Charlotte NC on the last or next to last day
>of February 2007.  CATS had 14 of their 16 Siemens cars on the
>property and expected the remaining two in the next week.   They were
>using them while I was there to train motormen (or motor-persons).
>Target date for opening the entire line has been advanced to November
>26, 2007 with the northern end to me more imminent because it can be
>opened sooner.   This is clearly a stunning example of being ready
>well ahead of schedule.    The heritage trolleys will begin running
>on weekends as soon as the light rail service begins on weekdays.
>Stops will not necessarily be the same.
>
>The city of Pineville NC, which declined to be included at outset of
>the project because they did not want people from South Carolina
>parking in their community to catch the trains, now wants to be
>included.  Like the Ruxton section of Baltimore County that fought to
>be excluded from Baltimore's Central Light Rail Line and changed
>their minds after it opened, now is a little too late.   Extending to
>Pineville now means finding supplemental funds to tunnel under the
>circumferential highway I-485 (beltway or if your British, the orbital).
>
>I have some personal reservations about the Charlotte system because
>the city has only 600+ thousand people in a metropolitan area with
>slightly more than a million people ... roughly the same as
>Memphis.   The population is very dispersed over the landscape in
>single family homes and traffic isn't all that bad.    The link below
>has some nice pictures of the downtown Charlotte skyline.   As I
>think it over, it may, however have a better chance than Memphis and
>San Jose.
>
>
>
>http://www.city-data.com/city/Charlotte-North-Carolina.html
>

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