Charlotte, NC — Trolley Shutdown

Rail Transit Online – February 2005

The city’s approximately two-mile (3.2 km), 10-station historic trolley line will have to be closed for at least six months, probably beginning in December 2005, to facilitate construction of the South Line light rail project.  LRT project director David Leard said the shutdown will cut costs and construction time.  “This way, we're talking a six-month disruption versus a 17-month disruption,” Leard told the Charlotte Business Journal.  “People would be more upset if we interrupted the service over and over again.”  A final schedule for the closure will be decided after a work schedule for the light rail project has been finalized. 

The trolley, operated for the city by the Charlotte Area Transit System between the historic South End and Uptown (Center City), has been highly successful, carrying nearly 119,000 passengers during its first five months of operation.  Ridership during the line’s first year had been estimated at just 100,000.  However, current plans call for relatively limited trolley operation once the South Line opens in 2007.  The higher speed of LRVs means the streetcars will be sidelined when light rail headways are 15 min. or less, which could limit heritage operations to nights and weekends.