Charlotte, NC — Streetcar Study Approved

Rail Transit Online – May 2008

A detailed $500,000 study of the proposed Center City Streetcar project has been approved by the Charlotte city council. Forming part of the region's 2025 Corridor System Plan, the 10-mi. (16.1 km) line would use modern streetcars and be built in two phases.

The first would run from Presbyterian Hospital through downtown and northwest along Beatties Ford Road to Rosa Parks Place. The second will also start at Presbyterian Hospital and run northeast up Elizabeth Avenue and out along Central Avenue to Eastland Mall.

There would be approximately 34 stops and the price tag would be about $30 million, with half coming from the federal government and 25 percent each from the state of North Carolina and the local government. A preliminary study estimated average weekday ridership would range from 14,200 to 16,700 in 2030, about 50 percent more than the current bus service carries. No timetable for construction has been set.