Charlotte, NC — Back on Track

Rail Transit Online – February 2002

City officials have suddenly done an about face and now say they can get the heritage trolley extension from the South End to the Uptown area running by next February. The original plan called for the line, which is now under construction, to open in August of this year. The tracks would be shared with the proposed $331-million South Corridor LRT line that won’t be completed until February 2006. But the route cuts through the main hall of the Charlotte Convention Center, where engineers decided to build an elaborate, glass-enclosed and sealed tunnel complete with an underpass so that people using the facility would not have to walk across the tracks. However, the trolley could have begun operation without the tunnel because the streetcars would be smaller, lighter and run less frequently than LRVs. But convention center officials did not want to tear up the building twice and also felt they had a better chance of getting federal funding if the whole job was done at once. So it was decided to hold off trolley service until light rail could be completed, a decision that angered business owners who were looking forward to the new customers the streetcars would bring (see RTOL, Jan. 2002). The new plan calls for construction to take place in the center’s public areas only once. That would happen this year and will include track laying and other changes needed for light rail. In 2005, the rest of the work would take place in a service area away from public view. The underpass, complete with elevators and escalators, would be installed as part of a planned expansion of the convention center. The city council will vote on the plan Feb. 25. Meanwhile, a revised proposal for building the tunnel is also scheduled to be ready this month, one that should cost far less than the $32 million previously estimated. A draft Environmental Impact Study on the 15-station, 10.3-mile (16.6 km) LRT project should be ready in March.